Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media's ...

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Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2016 Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media's Influence on Leadership Communication Involving Millennials Rasheedah Dunston Walden University Follow this and additional works at: hps://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons , Communication Commons , and the Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons is Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected].

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Walden UniversityScholarWorks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral StudiesCollection

2016

Globalization, Mobile Technology, and SocialMedia's Influence on Leadership CommunicationInvolving MillennialsRasheedah DunstonWalden University

Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations

Part of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, CommunicationCommons, and the Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods Commons

This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, pleasecontact [email protected].

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Walden University

College of Management and Technology

This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by

Rasheedah Dunston

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.

Review Committee Dr. David Banner, Committee Chairperson, Management Faculty

Dr. Lilburn Hoehn, Committee Member, Management Faculty Dr. William Shriner, University Reviewer, Management Faculty

Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University 2016

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Abstract

Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media’s Influence on Leadership

Communication Involving Millennials

by

Rasheedah Dunston

MBA, Rutgers University, 2003

BA, Rutgers University, 1993

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Applied Management and Decision Sciences

Walden University

June 2016

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Abstract

Current research identifies effective leadership communication, which includes frequent

direct conversational communication from company leaders, influences worker

performance during organizational change. Social media, mobile technology, and the

Millennial workforce have shifted leader communication style from purely top-down, town

hall style communication to incorporate more collaborative and engaging forums. The case

study addressed how globalization, social media, and mobile technology affects leadership

communication and then subsequently effects worker performance as Millennials join the

workforce. Qualitative data were collected from observations and interviews from a

purposeful selection of 9 Millennial employees, including 2 Millennial leaders, and 8 non-

Millennial leaders of a Fortune 100 company. The data were focused on leadership

communication during the leaders’ implementation of key company and organizational

structural changes, which centered on the company’s U.S. Location Strategy program. Data

analysis involved the identification of themes relating to current leadership communication

trends that included recognition that globalization requires updated technology and tools

along with communication of best practices. Encouraging employees to share these tools

and resources trend improvement in company performance. These findings contribute to

social change by producing information about how globalization, Millennials, social media,

and mobile technology use influenced leadership communication and effectiveness. The

adaption and use of newer technology has influenced leadership communication

effectiveness. Company leaders could use this information to implement changes that help

employees communicate better within their workforce.

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Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media’s Influence on Leadership

Communication Involving Millennials

by

Rasheedah Dunston

MBA, Rutgers University, 2003

BA, Rutgers University, 1993

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Applied Management and Decision Sciences

Walden University

June 2016

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Dedication To my parents, Melvin and Ernestine Dunston, who provided constant

encouragement and unwavering support throughout my Ph. D. program and my life.

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Table of Contents

List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... iv

List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ................................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1

Background ................................................................................................................... 3

Problem Statement ........................................................................................................ 4

Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 5

Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 6

Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 7

Nature of the Study ....................................................................................................... 9

Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................... 10

Assumptions ................................................................................................................ 11

Scope and Delimitations ............................................................................................. 12

Limitations .................................................................................................................. 12

Significance of the Study ............................................................................................ 13

Summary ..................................................................................................................... 14

Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 17

Introduction ................................................................................................................. 17

Literature Search Strategy ........................................................................................... 17

Theoretical Foundation ............................................................................................... 19

Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 24

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Leadership Communication .................................................................................. 25

Studies on Leadership Communication ................................................................ 26

The Focus on Leadership Communication for Millennials .................................. 29

Communication Changed With Globalization ...................................................... 32

Communication Changed with Social Media ....................................................... 37

Communication Changed with Mobile Technology ............................................. 42

Communication Challenges for Existing Leaders ................................................ 49

Summary and Conclusions ......................................................................................... 57

Chapter 3: Research Method ............................................................................................. 60

Introduction ................................................................................................................. 60

Research Design and Rationale .................................................................................. 61

Role of Researcher ...................................................................................................... 63

Methodology ............................................................................................................... 64

Participant Selection Logic ................................................................................... 64

Instrumentation ..................................................................................................... 66

Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection .......................... 70

Data Analysis Plan ................................................................................................ 72

Issues of Trustworthiness ............................................................................................ 74

Protection of Participants’ Rights and Informed Consent .................................... 77

Ethical Procedures ................................................................................................ 78

Summary ..................................................................................................................... 80

Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................. 82

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iii

Research Setting .......................................................................................................... 83

Demographics ............................................................................................................. 84

Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 85

Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 87

Evidence of Trustworthiness ....................................................................................... 94

Credibility ............................................................................................................. 94

Transferability ....................................................................................................... 95

Dependability ........................................................................................................ 96

Confirmability ....................................................................................................... 96

Study Results .............................................................................................................. 97

Summary ................................................................................................................... 116

Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations ......................................... 118

Interpretation of Findings ......................................................................................... 118

Limitations of the Study ............................................................................................ 120

Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 121

Implications ............................................................................................................... 121

Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 122

References ....................................................................................................................... 124

Appendix A: Observation Worksheet ............................................................................. 138

Appendix B: Interview Questions ................................................................................... 140

Appendix C: Letter of Cooperation from a Community Research Partner .................... 143

Appendix D: Informed Consent Form for Interviews ..................................................... 144

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iv

List of Tables

Table 1. Observation Worksheet Aligning Observations With the Research Questions .. 67

Table 2. Interview Protocol Aligning Interviews With the Research Questions .............. 68

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List of Figures

Figure 1. A word cloud of the top 100 words used in interviews..............................89

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Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study

Introduction

Globalization, technology, media, and workforce demographic changes in

companies are occurring simultaneously; in response, corporate leaders implement deep

structural organizational changes as well as ongoing, longer-term changes as necessary.

Communication is key to producing positive effects related to worker performance during

organizational changes (Abugre, 2011). In this study, I explored the potential impact that

recent changes in mobile technology, social media, and globalization might have on

leader communication when company leaders interact with Millennial employees.

Furthermore, I explored how leadership communication style could affect worker

performance.

Millennials, or Generation Y, are individuals born between the years 1976 and

2001 (Sincavage, 2004). Part of the Millennials' business impact lies in their use of

social networks. Their personal use of social networks has permeated into the workplace.

Social networks are more than a convenience. They are also business tools that

companies use to interact with customers, forming a social networking business forum.

Savitz (2012) stated that social networking for business, “puts the onus on managers to

learn which tools best balance ease of use and employee familiarity with security,

accountability, and productivity” (p. 1).

At the inception of my study, Lee and Cho (2011) summed up an expected trend,

which indicated that there would be increases in social networking and mobile use over

the next few years. The Pew Research Center (2015) stated that in the United States, “As

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of July 2015, 76% of online adults use social networking sites” (Media and Technology-

Social Networking Use). Twitter had 316 million active accounts and Facebook more

than 1 billion as of active accounts. Through this study I assess how the spread of social

media use impacted leader communications.

People use social media to exchange ideas and communicate almost

instantaneously. This shift in speed and ability to communicate information has changed

the way people share information socially and at work (Aichner & Jacob, 2015). With

Millennials as the largest group adapting this communication style and growing as a large

part of the workforce, communication styles and tools have changed to allow more two-

way communication and collaboration at companies (Aichner & Jacob, 2015; Cardon &

Marshall, 2015).

A business's immersion into social media must be strategic. Culnan, McHugh,

and Zubillaga (2010) stressed, “Merely creating a presence on a social media platform

(e.g., launching a corporate Facebook page) does not ensure the implementation will

create value” (p. 246). There needs to be a strategy and business commitment to monitor,

track trends, and use and respond to the people and information on the platform

effectively. However, company leaders often lag behind society when adopting new

technology or innovation because a company must implement changes effectively for its

business (Day, 2011). Social media is not different from other new technology in this

respect; however, now that organizations have begun to incorporate more social forums

and mobile technology into business processes, there is a need to examine how this

change may impact leadership communication.

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Background

Innovation impacts society increasingly over time (Lee & Cho, 2011). In

particular, mobile and social media sites have had a significant effect on society,

especially over the past 10 years, and especially on Millennials. More than 75% of

Millennials are social media users, making this generation the largest population of users

as compared to other generations (Lee & Cho, 2011; Pew Research Center, 2010).

Mobile devices, mobile applications, and social media has integrated into workplaces

(Savitz, 2012, p. 1). Today, more than half of adults in the United States who go online

use two or more social media sites, a Pew Research Center survey conducted in

September 2014 (Pew Research Center, 2015). Individuals in the Millennial generation

have influenced business in the United States through the devices they use in the same

way they have impacted society (Jackson, 2011; Understanding the Millennial consumer,

2012).

This case study helped to identify effective leadership communication specific to

Millennials in the context of one company’s global expansion and organizational changes

implemented from 2010 to 2015. Specifically, I was interested in following leader

communication methods and style with Millennial employees and how it would evolve

based on new technology, social media, and globalization. One theme that surfaced was

the shift to more collaborative, interactive communication between leaders and

employees. Groysberg and Slind (2012) stated, “One-way, top-down communication

between leaders and their employees is no longer useful or even realistic. Today’s

leaders achieve far more engagement and credibility when they take part in genuine

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conversation with the people who work for and with them” (p. 78). I explored this

communication trend as part of this study.

Recently, researchers have started to look at communication factors with respect

to technology, social media, and globalization. Organizations across the United States

recognized the need to transform and evolve to accommodate changing technology, and

organizational demographics, as well as increased emphasis on values and social norms,

societal and community behavior (Mason, 2012, p. 5). Although more studies and

articles about globalization, mobile technology, and social media surfaced in 2015, most

focused on the social impact or current business trends in convenience, marketing, and

advertising when using media and technology to reach customers. This research

examined internal business impacts between leaders and employees.

Problem Statement

The problem addressed in this case study is a gap in the literature, which does not

include significant information about how globalization, social media, and mobile

technology may affect leadership communication and then subsequently effect worker

performance as more Millennials joined the workforce. When companies lack the people

and structures needed to implement or react to external changes and new technology it

can impact a company’s competitiveness (Day, 2011). The influx of Millennials into the

workforce in the United States along with social media, mobile technology, and

globalization changed the way company leaders communicate with employees

(Groysberg & Slind, 2012).

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Research on leadership communication and generational differences suggests that

Millennial workers place increasing value on collaboration and integrity (Eisner, 2005;

Hewlett, Sherbin, & Sumberg, 2009; Penney, 2011). Moreover, social media,

technology, and Millennials have shifted leader communication styles from purely top-

down, town hall style communication to incorporate more collaborative and engaging

forums (Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Penney, 2011). However, prior literature did not

include significant information about how globalization, mobile technology, social

media, and generational shifts in the workforce collectively may affect leadership

communication and the subsequent effect on worker performance. This dissertation case

study was designed to address this gap in the literature.

As part of this case study I collected interview and observation data to better

explore the associations between new technology, social media, and globalization as it

relates to communication processes. This study was designed to contribute to social

change by improving leadership awareness of the best communication practices and

helping leaders understand the impact of them so that better practices can be applied to

benefit individual and company performance.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to surface new information about leadership

communication. I assessed Millennial employees and leaders in a Fortune 100 company

to determine their preferred leadership communication style in light of globalization,

mobile technology, and social media. I used interviews, observations of employees over

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time, leadership meeting materials, and company survey results to triangulate my

findings.

Business leadership and leadership communication are important factors with

significant financial repercussions. Companies that attract, develop, and retain the best

leaders are most likely to flourish (Smallwood, Ulrich, and Zenger, 1999). Further,

Hewlett, Sherbin, and Sumberg (2009), in their statements regarding the effects of

Millennials and the Boomer generations, emphasized that managers must remain flexible,

must be open to new ideas, and establish relevant growth plans to sustain talent in the

workplace. However, the most effective approach for leadership communication with

Millennials was unclear.

This study explored how leadership communication with Millennials may

improve through better understanding of available leadership communication methods

and current impacts in the context of this study. I used case study design to explore

effective leader communication. The goal was to discover new information about

effective leader communication with Millennials. The data brought out several themes in

the responses and observations of the employees, leaders, and other associates, which

helped me to meet the goal and promote social change as I shared the ideas throughout

the study.

Research Questions

The overarching research question investigated in this study was, “Have

globalization, technology, and social media have influenced leadership communication

styles with Millennials and, if so, how?”. I explored this with six subquestions:

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1. What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social

media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?

2. How do employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the

company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?

3. How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social

media affecting the style, delivery, and forums for communication at work,

and how does each impact the way that leaders communicate differently?

4. What is the relationship between globalization and collaborative forums such

as social media?

5. How are certain communication methods or styles more effective than

others for leaders, individual contributors, or both?

6. How do two-way, frequent communication influence company performance in

Millennials, including adherence and achievement of set goals?

I chose a qualitative design because this design allowed me to make observation notes

and interview participants to reveal unanticipated communication behaviors.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for this study was a combination of several theories:

change theory (Argyris, 1972; Bennis, Benne & Chin, 1961; Nadler, 1998), leader-

member exchange (LMX) theory (Northouse, 2012), transformational leadership theory

(Bass, 1985), and situational leadership theory (Blanchard and Hersey, 1996). Each

theory represents a different dimension of leadership that demonstrates the effects of

leadership communication within the organization, company, and society. With

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significant increases in business globalization, mobile technology usage, and social

media, the potential exists for research to expound on these theories for exploration of

possible communication impacts. The selected theories provided the foundation for this

study and the rationale to determine why the company leaders may have needed to adjust

how they communicate to most effectively lead the organization as the company faces

changes prompted by external and internal factors.

Change theory discussed by Benne, Bennis, and Chin (1961) showed the

importance of communication between associates and between leaders and associates

while Nadler (1998) discussed the need for communication across the organization so

that employees connect to the leader’s strategy throughout change process. Argyris

(1972) emphasized that there pros and cons of organizational structure and grouping;

subdividing a group helps to give employees identification and purpose, but it also

complicates leader communication and how leaders implement organizational change.

These change theorists’ work helped to shape the problem and purpose of my study as I

researched the influence of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on

leadership communication within a changing organization.

Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory (Northouse, 2012) focuses on how the

impact of proximity of leaders to employees could impact the quality of communication

or the exchange of information. Transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985) proved

that the characteristics of a leader, leading with passion and the ability to communicate

well to connect to followers influences leaders success when transforming an

organization. While situational leadership theory (Blanchard and Hersey, 1996) spoke to

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the need for leaders to flex and adjust how and what they communicate based on the

employee’s needs. I will provide more detailed explanations of these theories and its

relationship to my study in Chapter Two. Each theory provided insight that helped me

determine the research questions that I wanted to focus on throughout my case study.

Nature of the Study

I selected a case study approach for this research to allow me to explore how

globalization, mobile technology, and social media may influence changes in leader

communication. I explored leadership communication for Millennial generation workers

in the context of company leader implementation of organizational changes; these

leaders were implementing key company and organizational structural changes centered

on a company’s U.S. location strategy.

Face-to-face interviews included questions to prompt conversation about

how employees and leaders use technology and social media currently and reviewed

influences on company leadership communication. Additional data sources analyzed

included leadership meeting materials, organizational meetings, and company survey

results.

All data sources were cross-referenced throughout the study to verify information

across sources who responded to the research questions. I interviewed several

participants in the beginning of the study and triangulated the data with quarterly meeting

material and survey data that I collected over time. I reviewed the information as it was

received to inform the study and to assess any changes over time. Additionally, I

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documented my observations over several months to understand any perceptual changes

over time.

I observed interview participants and then engaged with the participants

periodically throughout the duration of the research and as needed, based on the data,

themes, and categories that emerged. During data collection, coding, and data analysis I

determined the need to split up the interviews so that they all did not occur in the

beginning of the study because different locations and business functions were in

different phases of implementation of the location strategy. This was a key factor in

shifting my study approach to stagger the interviews to better assess the changes over

time. Throughout the study I looked for information that reinforced new ideas that

contributed to a comprehensive report on the findings included in Chapter 5.

Definition of Terms

To determine the leadership needs in a process of forming a geographically

boundary-less corporate structure, it is essential to include a working definition of leader,

globalization, and collaboration tools for reference.

Company leaders: The leaders of interest in this study are those who influence

company organization and success, including officers, executives, managers, and

informal leaders involved in company change.

Globalization: This refers to the worldwide influence of a company in terms of

employees, marketing, sales, and/or manufacturing to increase business opportunities and

results.

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Collaboration tools: These tools include software, such as Microsoft SharePoint,

Cisco Telepresence, or other tools that help facilitate collaboration on common goals or

projects shared by a team, forum, or other group. Collaboration tools also include social

networks, intranet portals, websites, telepresence, and tools for document and file

management.

Assumptions

Assumptions underlying this research include the following:

1. Effective leadership communication strategy is necessary to connect leaders

and followers and to help produce positive results.

2. Company change is inevitable, and any change, either external or internal,

requires changes in strategy.

3. Effective leadership communication styles for Millennials are different from

those used for employees from previous generations.

4. The Millennials invited to participate in this study will openly express their

views regarding effective leadership communication to the researcher, a

fellow employee and professional.

5. The Millennials invited to participate in this study have college degrees and at

least one year of work experience, which I assumed to be sufficient exposure

to the corporate environment to provide informed answers to the interview

questions.

6. Technology, globalization, and social media have led to the need for

leadership communication style changes, and generational differences

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introduced by the Millennial adoption of these tools will drive changes in

leadership communication style that further exacerbates the leadership

communication problem.

Scope and Delimitations

The focus of this research is on Millennials, although the factors previously

mentioned may affect other generations. Also, I limited the discussion of leadership

communication to how it relates to impacts caused by globalization, mobile technology,

and social media, and as experienced by Millennials.

I confined the study interview participants to 17 U.S. employees—both leaders

and individual contributors—having exposure to global employees of one Fortune 100

Company that sat for 60-90 minute in person interviews. Additionally, I observed 16

quarterly town hall style meetings held by various company executives with global

associates as well as any ten interim meetings and announcements that occurred over

eighteen months.

Limitations

Although I made every attempt to include a diverse group of participants, the

sample may not adequately represent the full population of company employees.

Additionally, due to the rapid changes in technology, the data only applied to current

thoughts, views, and experiences. These data points can, however, be used to predict

future trends and possibilities.

Since the study focused on Millennials exposed to leadership communication in

the context of the target company, the opinions expressed may not represent worldwide

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views of other Millennial professionals. Furthermore, these Millennial participants may

have limited experience that reflects narrow views of the corporate environment.

However, since this study concerns the influence of globalization, mobile technology,

and social media on Millennials, the participants provided useful insights about

communication phenomena since they are demographically the largest global user group.

This topic is relevant to current activities occurring at the company. I was

challenged to recognize and control my bias. However, since I am not a Millennial, I

counteracted any personal bias by leveraging the participants’ input as the primary data

source. Although the data is not generalizable beyond the sample, I targeted a sample

appropriate in the context of this case study.

Significance of the Study

This study was necessary because it helped determine new information about how

leaders and managers may elicit stronger performance from workers. The problem is that

significant information about how globalization, social media, and mobile technology

may affect leadership communication and then subsequently effect worker performance

as more Millennials joined the workforce does not exist. Mobile technology and

communication tools can make leadership communication more complex than in previous

years when information was not as easily accessible. Currently, a company’s leaders and

workers may operate in several regions throughout the world, so employees depend on

the Internet, teleconferences, video teleconferencing (VTC), and other technology to

communicate effectively. These are necessary tools and means of communication. By

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interviewing newer employees, this study helps company leaders understand how

communication style can affect worker performance.

Since technology has changed globally, it has become more challenging for

company managers and leaders to communicate with workers. Mobile technology, social

media, and the growing number of Millennials in the workforce have increased these

challenges even more. Therefore, the target participants in the study, Millennial

employees and leaders, included several ethnicities and races as well as both males and

females. I explored leadership communication with respect to the leaders’

implementation of multiple layers of organizational changes. The study will help

advance knowledge about leader communication as Millennials and leaders that work in

the corporate environment share their insights.

The results of this case study provided information to help leaders understand new

communication trends based on the data derived from interviews, observations, and

coding. The goal of the study was to help understand key communication methods used

in current contexts, and then determine further action in new applications. I will promote

social change by helping employees and leaders learn and share information that will

allow them to work better together. This research will serve companies by providing

information about the potential changes to leadership communication in any global

company and could also inform uses in other contexts.

Summary

The intent of this study was to determine actions that might improve company

leadership communication. The problem is that the influx of Millennials into the

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workforce along with the influence of several factors simultaneously on companies may

have created the need to change the way leaders communicate with employees; however,

there were not many studies on the topic since these influences are still relatively new.

Recent literature indicates that Millennials (or Gen Y), a term commonly used to describe

those born between 1977 and 2000, have adopted social media and mobile technology at

a faster rate than other generations (Pew Research Center, 2010). This has made a

significant impact on communication.

Social media, technology, and the Millennial workforce may have driven the need

for company leaders to change from top-down, town hall style communication to

incorporate more collaborative, engaging forums for communication (Hastings, 2012).

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of recent phenomena (i.e.,

changes in leadership communication from solely top-down, town hall style, to a two-

way, conversational style). I specifically explored the impacts of (a) changing workforce

makeup, (b) globalization, and (c) the emersion of social media and mobile technology

on Millennial worker performance using a theoretical framework in the context of a

Fortune 100 global company.

This case study analyzed the behaviors and responses of 17 Millennial

employees, and leaders to verify leadership communication effectiveness theory,

and to solidify ways to improve leadership communication and respective

organizational performance throughout the implementation of the company

location strategy. For this study, in lieu of generalizability, I sought to inform as

themes surfaced. I used the case study approach to cross-

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reference data sources and then to produce new information that can be used by

industry leaders. Since this study used the same set of interview questions with

different participants, it allowed me to triangulate information gathered from the

Millennial participants, current leaders, organizational meetings, organizational

surveys, and my own observations.

In Chapter 1, I presented the purpose of this proposed study—to

investigate the influence of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on

leadership communication styles with Millennials. In Chapter 2, I present a

review of the relevant literature, and Chapter 3 discusses the study methodology.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review

Introduction

This chapter includes a critical review of articles in current academic, peer-

reviewed journals, as well as in books and contemporary online sources, that deal with

the topic of leadership communication: (a) leadership communication studies; (b)

Millennial influence; (c) globalization, technology, and social media impacts on

communication; and (d) leadership challenges today. Each topic is presented as it relates

to the current leadership communication trends and Millennials. This review concludes

with a summary of the findings in the literature about leadership communication and how

these factors are changing the way people communicate with each other.

The problem that I addressed in this case study is a gap in the literature, which

does not include significant information about how globalization, social media, and

mobile technology may affect leadership communication and then subsequently effect

worker performance as more Millennials joined the workforce. The purpose of this study

was to surface new information about leadership communication. The literature review

includes recent information that led to this study topic.

Literature Search Strategy

While reading through the literature I found several themes including technology

innovation, leadership strategy, leadership communication style, leadership effectiveness,

globalization, Millennials, social media, and leadership communication. I used these key

search terms as criteria to select recent articles that would be relevant to this study. The

selection of the search engine and databases was a key part of the successful searches,

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which primarily leveraged EBSCOhost search of the Business Source Complete database

and occasionally used the Education Research Complete database as well as other

databases (even opting to select all in one search). I narrowed my focus to Millennials to

streamline the research scope.

The initial search attempts included combinations of all the named search terms;

however, this was not successful. Subsequent searches used varied combinations of the

search terms to find relevant topics since there was not an exact match. Another search

iteration included search terms of Millennials and leadership. A key search focused on

business use of social media. I wanted to read recent literature about the current

workforce, especially experiences with Millennials.

A search that focused on Millennials yielded several articles that point out leaders

as a key force in how well the exchange occurs between older generations and

Millennials. Another key thought is that leaders respond to each generation differently

based on their mindset and values. Millennial workers are different from previous

generations because they value having a purpose more than previous generations

(Penney, 2010). Additionally, the literature indicated that Millennials communicate

differently because they grew up with technology such as the Internet and social media as

commonplace.

The latest searches focused on leadership communication and leadership

communication studies, which brought out the evolution of leadership communication

and the communication tools available over the past decade.

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Theoretical Foundation

The theoretical framework underpinning this research stated that effective

leadership communication influences worker performance. The theories reference

included organizational change theory (Argyris, 1972; Bennis, Benne & Chin, 1961;

Nadler, 1998), leader-member exchange (LMX) theory (Northouse, 2012),

transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985), and situational leadership theory

(Blanchard and Hersey, 1996). The introduction of mobile technology, social media, and

the movement towards globalization may affect company leader communication

effectiveness. Additionally, more frequent, conversational communication from

company leaders may improve Millennial employee performance.

This case study involved the collection of qualitative data from Millennial

employees and leaders of a Fortune 100 company regarding leadership communication.

For the purpose of this study I explored leadership communication using existing

literature from a theoretical perspective. Change theory, LMX theory, Situational

leadership theory, as well as transformational leadership theory provided foundational

information that I applied to the subject organization in this study as it underwent

workforce, structural, and geographical changes to build on these theories.

Bennis, Benne, and Chin’s (1961) theory of group development states that

improvements in communication help to mature an organization. Benne et al argued that

a group must master internal communication systems that allow the group to function

appropriately, resolving internal conflicts, mobilizing resources as needed, and taking

intelligent action. They emphasized two phases that mark the growth pattern:

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• Phase I, dependence, in which the group looks for a common goal and desires

approval from the authority figure; and

• Phase II, interdependence, in which the group attention moves to the problem

of shared responsibility, group affiliation, and affection—similar attitudes “as

a group” toward authoritative figures.

Bennis et al. (1961) maintained that growth (moving from Phase I to Phase II) requires

that group members can communicate and help each other, and that leaders must

understand any barriers to communication. Leaders must determine the group

characteristics necessary to ensure communication effectiveness and top performance.

Nadler (1998), like Bennis et al. (1961), refers to organizations as social systems

and states that each system comprises four "tightly interrelated components (pp. 9-12)":

1. the work

2. the people

3. the formal organization, and

4. the informal organization (values, attitude, beliefs, communication style,

behavioral standards, etc).

According to Nadler (1998), each component must fit the strategy before the strategy can

succeed (p. 12). Communication must be integrated into organizational change. Nadler

(1998) further states that change strategy should include the whole organization even if

everyone will agree with it (p. 161). Workers must be included and share a common

understanding to successfully implement strategy. Therefore, communication of action

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and goals is imperative and must describe the new vision and culture to be achieved as a

result of organizational changes.

Argyris (1972) stated that difficult communication can as a product of structural

differentiation, stating that any criterion, basis, or rationale for dividing members of a

group into ranks or subunits has impact, contributing to the complexity of

communication. Each group has its own goals, strategies, and values. As more groups

are subdivided, more ideals, goals, and sense of purpose are presented, which makes it

harder for any communication or change implementation to occur, because naturally

everyone values their own thoughts and conclusions more highly than those of others

(Simmons, 2006, p. 3). However, organizations often complicate communication by

continually executing structural differentiation with the increasing number of supervisors

or units (Argyris, 1972, p. 15).

Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory focuses on the interactions between

leaders and followers. It further stated that differences in the level of exchange might

exist between the leader and each individual follower because a leader does not interact

with the group uniformly. The theory references in-groups and out-groups, which

represent followers who have a higher-quality exchange with the leader versus those who

have a lesser-quality exchange. This theory was developed in the 1970s, and subsequent

studies have shown that LMX positively affects employee performance according to the

quality of the exchange (Northouse, 2012). Additionally, high-quality leader-member

exchange leads to positive organizational outcomes (Northouse, 2012).

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Historically, both transformational leadership and situational leadership have

proven successful during organizational change. Transformational Leadership theory

maintained that people with vision and passion can influence others, and Situational

Leadership Theory stated that effective leaders apply varied styles based on the situation.

Transformational Leadership (Bass, 1985) surfaced often in the literature

surveyed for this study. Transformational Leadership Theory suggests that companies

need visionary leaders to implement several dimensions of change that often occur

simultaneously in today’s organizations. Since technology is constantly improving and

changing, leaders must understand the characteristics and skillset needed for today’s

leaders as well as future leaders to handle the changes imposed by mobile technology,

social media, and globalization within the next generation. Regarding transformational

leadership, Clawson (2009) stated that, “regardless of how articulate they are in a

conventional sense, leaders find a way to convey their visions in unmistakable terms to

their constituents” (p. 461). In transformational leadership, effective communication is

imperative to ensure that messaging and visions are well understood throughout the

workforce.

Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard developed the Situational Leadership Theory in

the 1970s (Gates, Blanchard, & Hersey, 1976). They determined individual leaders’ style

(or others’ perception of their style) using a three-dimensional approach that includes (1)

task behavior, (2) relationship behavior, and (3) effectiveness, with task and relationship

being the central concepts to determine appropriate leadership communication style

required to be effective in each specific situation. Their theory stated, “successful leaders

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are those who can adapt their behavior to meet the demands of their own unique

environment” (Hersey & Blanchard, 1981, p. 38). Since communication is a key attribute

in both Transformational Leadership and Situational Leadership theories, I refer to

concepts from these theories as they relate to leadership communication in this study.

Some of the key concepts of effective leadership communication include the

following: (a) companies and their organizations need leadership communication; (b)

individuals from different generations respond to leadership communication differently;

(c) changes brought about by technological innovation impact leadership communication;

and (d) leadership communication effectiveness will influence worker performance. The

intersection of globalization, mobile technology, and social media along with the advent

of greater numbers of Millennials into the workforce may require that company leaders

adopt new communication styles to be effective.

Similar to the seminal leadership communication theories that serves as the

framework for this study, recent studies have shown that leaders who communicate

effectively will positively impact employee performance. Rouse and Schuttler (2009)

studied the effect of absent or confusing organizational leadership and communication in

the context of the 2008 financial crisis. They found that the financial crisis, similar to

any external factors or major shifts impacting society, could introduce the need for

change in leader communication.

Rouse and Schuttler (2009) correlated red, yellow, and green zone leader

categorizations, as defined by the authors, with worker performance levels. They

believed that green zone leaders exhibited behaviors such as proactive communication,

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meaningful feedback, and effective mentoring, which resulted in highly valued employee

performance including innovative problem-solving skills and perceived empowerment.

Red zone leaders exhibited undesired behaviors with consequently lower performance

from workers in that category. Yellow represented the middle zone.

A study conducted by Neufeld, Zeying, and Yulin (2010) researched leadership

performance with respect to communication and leader-worker proximity and leadership

theory. Neufeld et al. stated in their results that managers must act on their beliefs

through effective communication. This study expanded the Rouse and Schuttler (2009)

findings by showing that not only is leader communication important, but the proximity

of the leaders to the employees influence the degree of performance. My study expands

on these theories by producing new information about how globalization, mobile

technology, and social media influence leader communication in a changing corporate

environment.

Literature Review

Social media, mobile technology, and globalization have individually impacted

how companies operate (Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Lee, 2010; Roberts, 2012). Several

articles discussed each impact and their combined impact as factors that challenge

company leaders (Penney, 2011; Savitz, 2012). Social media and mobile device use,

primarily influenced by Millennials, has transitioned from social environments into

business environments. As this trend continues, the need to evolve guidelines for

appropriate use of personal electronic devices in a business context is quickly becoming

an imperative (Jackson, 2011). Leaders must determine the group characteristics that will

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be necessary to understand in order to ensure communication effectiveness and top

performance. Good communication between leaders and workers is essential.

Leadership Communication

Globalization goals have triggered organizational change at the company level,

and these factors have collided with the shift in the workforce makeup. Leaders must be

skilled and flexible in their willingness to learn and respond to organizational changes

(Hickman, 2010). Leadership flexibility is another theme in many articles regarding

Millennials. Millennial workers require flexibility in when and where they work

(Yeaton, 2008; Eisner, 2005). This is especially important to keep in mind in dealing

with the four generations currently active in today’s workforce. Also, as technology is

constantly improving and changing, it is important to understand the characteristics and

skillset needed for today’s leaders as well as future leaders to handle the communication

changes imposed by mobile technology, social media, and globalization.

Articles about leadership communication explored current influences and trends

in contemporary organizations with respect to its impact on employee performance.

Several articles explored leadership trends and contemporary concerns such as how

globalization and technology have intersected to create new challenges for future leaders

because of how vast companies and their organizations have grown to be boundary-less

(Neera, Anjanee, & Shoma, 2010). The speed at which news and information travel poses

new challenges that leaders must manage.

Other articles discuss innovation impacts on society increasingly over time (Lee

and Cho, 2011; Pew Research Center, 2015). Specifically, mobile devices and social

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media sites have had a significant effect on society, especially over the past ten years,

with a more concentrated impact on Millennials since more than 75% of Millennials are

social network users (Lee & Cho, 2011, pp. 71-76). Day (2011) highlighted traditional

organizational rigidity as a key issue. Company leaders often have difficulty keeping

pace with external impacts as companies expand, grow, and adjust to accommodate

innovation. Since innovation is a key factor in companies’ ability to remain competitive,

not having the right leaders or adequate structures in place needed to implement,

communicate about, or react to changes and new technology can be detrimental.

Studies on Leadership Communication

Leadership communication theory from a decade ago explored face-to-face versus

electronic communication. De Vries, Bakker-Pieper, and Oostenveld (2010) cited a 2004

study showing that people more often choose direct contact with other people rather than

use the Internet as the initial source of information. In another article written in 2002, the

authors focused on email as a primary electronic source for communication. Baldoni

(2002) emphasized that relevance of proximity as well by highlighting that face-to-face

communications work best when leaders discuss employees’ performance. However, in

this same article the author emphasized that effective communication required two-way

communication that flows from the top down and from the bottom up.

When leaders talk to employees it is important to ensure employees understand

the information. Employees must also have a way to communicate their thoughts and

views to leaders. Baldoni (2002) emphasized, “If only leaders speak, the organization as

a whole is silent…[O] rganizations that emphasize communications seem to have a

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greater sense of purpose and unity [when associates] keep one another informed” (pp. 4-

5). Part of good communication is listening to others and ensuring that the information is

not only heard, but also understood.

A more recent study by De Vries et al. (2010) explored the question of whether

leadership equals communication in government organizations. The study’s goal was to

define measures for leadership communication and uncover relationships between

existing leadership styles (i.e., more communicative versus less communicative) on

worker performance. Similar to rouse and Schuttler (2009), the study found that

leadership communication quality correlates to worker performance quality.

Another key finding was that leaders’ communication styles were strongly related

to knowledge-sharing behaviors, perceived leader performance, employees’ satisfaction

with the leader, and team commitment (De Vries et al., 2010, p. 367). A limitation of the

study, as noted by De Vries et al. (2010), was that “[it neglected to include] data from

different sources or to use different methods to measure the predictor and criteria

variables” (p. 377). My study leveraged the information from this study using different

data sources, focusing on the Millennial demographic, and exploring the named external

factors as possible predictors or criteria that could influence leadership communication in

the context of this case study.

Chang, Chuang, and Chao (2011) explored the impacts of cultural adaption,

communication quality, and trust on virtual team performance in their study. They stated

that globalization increased the need for organizations to form virtual teams across

nations, which created the need to explore performance impacts and measures unique to

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virtual teams. Chang et al. highlighted that “characteristics emerge which emphasise the

specific nature of the virtual teams: geographic separation of team members, identified

need to perform work in virtual settings, and use of alternative methods of

communication with increased emphasis on electronic interaction” (p. 307). Further,

effective communication is essential to success of virtual teams (Chang et al., 2011). The

study also reinforces LMX theory in its finding that more personal and quality contact

resulted in improved team relations and the team’s consequent success.

Some articles define communication as the exchange of information because it is

a two-way exchange involving speaking and listening used to engage employees, deliver

a message, or increase understanding (Baldoni, 2004; Nicholson, 2011; Thompson,

2011). In this study I explored the impact that globalization, social media, and mobile

technology may have on leadership communication behaviors with Millennials.

However, since leadership communication effectiveness varies based on its context and

how leaders execute it, I used the interviews to get more information about leadership

communication style.

The studies in this section showed the correlation between good leadership

communication and positive employee performance results. I have used these studies as

a basis for my study and expanded on the theory that leader communications impact

performance to understand how globalization, social media, and mobile technology may

influence how leaders and associates communicate in order to share and receive

information.

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Today mobile technology and social technology have emerged to allow people to

connect directly in two-way exchanges of information on the Internet. In this study I

explored whether these Internet-empowered factors are still considered a secondary

source for information by understanding how associates primarily communicate today for

work. I also assessed how information is received throughout the company and then

reviewed how this may influence employee performance.

The Focus on Leadership Communication for Millennials

The Millennial generation is already having an impact on society in its use of

mobile technology and the development and use of social media. Venters, Green, and

Lopez (2012) predicted that by 2014 about half the workforce would be Millennials.

Additionally, the influx of Millennials, with their technical expertise, has changed

companies across the globe. According to Eisner (2005), “Gen Y’s large size, level of

education, and technical skill position it to echo the Baby Boomers’ impact on business

and society” (p. 6).

The Millennial generation is the largest user group of social media; and social

technology and mobile technology have introduced new communication methods that are

used globally. If innovation trends prevail, as indicated by Lee and Cho (2011), these

factors may impact workplace communication as well. As of 2015, more than one-in-

three American workers are Millennials, and this year Generation Y became the largest

share of the American workforce (Fry, 2015).

Studies have shown a link between leadership effectiveness, worker performance,

and leadership communication. Previous studies, as indicated in the previous section,

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have found the link between leadership communication and worker effectiveness. In the

current study, I explored how these factors may impact leadership communication as

Millennials increasingly enter the workplace, by exploring this phenomenon and

answering the research questions about if, when, and how these factors are impacting

leader communication at the company I studied.

Today global organizations depend on mobile technology, and various

communication media. According to Weimann, Hinz, Scott, and Pollock (2010), “it is

evident that communication media play an integral role in team activities and [most]

virtual teams are functioning teams who rely on technology-based communication while

crossing several different boundaries” (p. 189). Frequent and targeted communication

contributed to improve virtual team performance. However, familiarity with a specific

technology or communication medium significantly influenced when these tools were

leveraged when communicating, regardless of whether they could have helped improve

efficiency (Weimann et al., 2010). My study explored how communication media,

frequency of communication, targeted communication, and familiarity with

communication and tools may impact leadership communication involving Millennials.

Demographically, holding for socioeconomic status, Millennials have by far been

the most influential generation in the adoption of social media (Lee and Cho, 2011, p.

76). As social media becomes more and more common throughout society it will be

especially important to leverage it as a powerful communication tool. Millennials

brought new communication methods and habits of “constant” communication into the

workplace that were adopted by other employees (Savitz, 2012, p. 1). The pervasiveness

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of new communication style has influenced business communication by simplifying the

flow of information and allowing constant interaction that facilitates employees’ ability

to implement multiple tasks simultaneously (multitasking). The recent phenomenon of

social networking, combined with mobile technology and corporate globalization,

introduces new challenges and ways for leaders to assign day-to-day tasks to employees,

communicate visions, and set and achieve goals.

Millennial workers introduced a new mindset to organizations that required a

different approach from the traditional top-down communication. Millennials and other

younger workers gained influence in organizations by setting new expectations on peers

and authority figures to communicate with them in more fast-paced, interactive, two-way

fashion, which generates consent rather than commanding agreement (Groysberg &

Slind, 2012). Penney (2011) addressed this communication phenomenon as well and

observed that Generation X and Generation Y are more collaborative and inclusive than

previous generations.

Although generational differences are noted, the literature also points out the

emergence of more collaboration in leadership, which requires a more inclusive

communication style. Therefore, part of my research explored how much collaboration

tools are being used and whether they are changing leadership communication at this

company.

Another differentiator between Millennial Americans and other American

generations is their perspective on diversity and tolerance. More than previous

generations, this group is more ethnically and racially diverse, and more open socially to

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other races and cultures (Pew Research Center, 2015, Social Trends). Therefore, the

workforce demographics will shift accordingly as more Millennials join the workforce

(Toossi, 2009). As the workforce shifts to incorporate more Millennials it will be

important to understand how these dynamics will impact organizations and how leaders

communicate within them.

One leadership communication style may not fit all situations. Additionally, the

Millennials’ mindset and use of technology has distinguished the Millennial generation

from previous ones in ways that may indicate the need to refine leadership

communication styles that will be effective in the changing workplace and workforce.

The next few sections talk more about the Millennials’ influence, considering how

globalization, social media, and mobile technology each changed the way that people

communicate.

Communication Changed With Globalization

With technology, new workforce demographics, globalization, and diversity

considerations, it is important to watch what is happening externally for company leaders

to determine if changes are required. Caputo and Crandall (2012) stated that, “the

dynamics of globalization mean we face a reality wherein leaders are called upon to

communicate effectively in cultural situations unfamiliar to them” (p. 58). Other authors

stress the importance of the need for cultural adaption as well as quality communication

in dealing with global teams. Chang et al. (2011) stressed that “if financial resources and

time do not allow team leaders to bring all the members to a face-to-face meeting, they

should at least make sure that team members get acquainted virtually through chat rooms,

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white board, home pages, e-mails, or video conferencing” (p. 310). Globalization

introduced organizational dynamics that require current and future leaders to transform

traditional communication styles to incorporate cultural considerations.

Increases in globalization have led to an increased need for leaders with a global

mindset; leaders must be able to communicate with individuals of their own and

divergent cultures, backgrounds, and demographics (Caputo & Crandall, 2012; Ching-

Hsiang & Hung-Wen, 2008; Irving, 2010; Rofcanin & Mehtap, 2010). Leadership

behaviors can be interpreted differently from culture to culture. Although culture is not a

primary factor for this study, it is a mediating variable for globalization as well as social

media and mobile technology

Globalization introduced other dynamics within organizations that requires leader

flexibility in how decisions are made. Bueno and Tubbs (2004) studied different

leadership styles to identify the competencies required for global effectiveness. The

results they presented also indicated that leaders consider the following to be some of the

most important global leadership competencies: (a) communication skills, (b) motivation

to learn, (c) flexibility, (d) open-mindedness, (e) respect for others, and (f) sensitivity.

Rofcanin and Mehtap (2010) stated that the “ever changing nature of organizations into

flatter organizations has brought about the necessity of team-oriented decision making

processes, continuous learning, and diversity, all of which pose challenges to the way of

managing subordinates” (p. 84). Perruci (2011) discussed the complexity of the way

globalization is shaping how Millennials will lead inter-generationally across nations.

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Another theme in the literature is that technology is central to the success of

companies seeking to expand globally. Along with a global mindset and cultural

flexibility, globalization necessitated accessibility to new technology and ways to

communicate (Chang et al., 2011; Irving, 2010; Perruci, 2011). Technology allows

people to work together regardless of distance as if they were together in the same office.

Advances in communication and technology, largely influenced by the Internet,

have brought people around the world into proximity and changed the way people relate

to one another (Irving, 2010; Perruci, 2011). Additionally, workplace dynamics have

changed with the communication and technology changes required to work in the global

context. According to Perruci (2011), “followers are now empowered by education,

technology, and new means of communication, which allow them to play an active role in

negotiating their space in the leadership process” (p. 83). Newer technology facilitated

the globalization of organizations; however, it poses new communication challenges for

leaders.

Another impact globalization has had on communication is that increased

interaction across cultures has forced people to share, learn about, and learn from other

cultures (Caputo and Crandall, 2012; Ching-Hsiang & Hung-Wen, 2008). Individuals

grow from intercultural experiences. Leaders require excellent communication skills that

use varied techniques to ensure a quality delivery of instruction or message. According

to Chang et al. (2011), “Successful virtual team facilitators must be able to manage the

whole spectrum of communication strategies via new technologies, as well as human and

social processes, and often do it across cultures” (p. 311). Another challenge leaders face

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is that information travels quickly, and news and problems cannot be confined within

borders. Perruci (2011) asserts that, “A global perspective on leadership calls on

Millennials to transcend local norms in order to develop transnational agendas” (p. 85).

Leaders must be able to create and communicate strategy that expands to include

knowledge acquired throughout global organizations.

However, global presence does not equal a homogeneous global culture; effective

leadership communication varies based on global context, each situation (i.e., Situational

Leadership Theory), and each person (i.e., LMX Theory). Increased globalization

created the need for more virtual teams as well as other nontraditional team structures

such as multicultural teams within and across regions or organizations (Chang et al.,

2011; Perruci, 2011). Globalization is forcing Millennials to confront not only traditional

leadership challenges when implementing organizational changes, but also cross-cultural

dimensions of leadership (Penney, 2011; Perruci, 2011). In addition to the need for

leaders to lead globally, effective leaders must be able to communicate well with virtual

teams as well as multicultural regions and organizations, which can be a challenge.

The literature also discussed the need for trust among team members to be most

productive. To work well together, team members are required to communicate well

enough to gain confidence in each other’s competency to help develop trust (Chang et al.,

2011). This is a key consideration for leadership in global organizations where

developing trust in global teams can be a challenge because of non-proximity and cultural

differences.

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Other researchers expressed the importance of trust and leader proximity in

organizations. Rofcanin and Mehtap (2010) in their examination of applied LMX theory

in their study stated that, “The relations between managers and subordinates are

reciprocal and that the high-quality leader-member exchange results in high trust, mutual

respect and consequently in less turnover, better performance, higher productivity and

developed organizational citizenship behavior” (pp. 86-87). Globalization changed

leadership communication by adding new complexity in how leaders effectively cultivate

trust, develop, interact, and communicate with employees across the globe to maintain

employee engagement and satisfactory performance levels.

Factors that affect the performance of global virtual teams include (a) cultural

adaption, (b) communication quality, and (c) member trust (Ching-Chou & Hsin-Hua,

2010; Perruci, 2011). Communication style determines how well a group may perform.

Successful global virtual teams depend more on people than on technology since a team’s

interaction style can affect group performance by facilitating or inhibiting the exchange

of information (Chang et al., 2011).

In the 21st century, organizations typically have constant changes in the context,

needs, and goals of the organization (Perruci, 2011). Leaders face constant challenges in

the chaotic environment of overlapping organizational changes, which have impacted

how leaders effectively communicate. Social media and mobile technology have also

added new dimensions to how people can communicate across the globe.

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Communication Changed with Social Media

Social media has been generally accepted as a new media (Piotrowski, 2012;

Mason, 2012; Parsons, 2011; Lee, 2010). The popularity and use of social media

continues to grow, with 41% of people surveyed in the United States having a profile on

a social networking site in 2009 (Pew Research Center, 2015). Lee and Cho (2011) noted

that from 2004 through 2010 social media sites, specifically Facebook and Twitter, had

followed the innovation adoption trend pattern in which innovation spreads through

society in a positive S-curve fashion, where usage gradually increases and ultimately

levels off as it becomes commonplace.

Other authors noted similar statistics. Lennon, Rentfro and Curran (2012)

reported that “over eight in ten internet users ages 18-29 use social networking sites

compared with seven in ten 30-49 year olds, half of 50-64 year olds, and one-third of

those age 65 and older. [The 18-35] age grouping made up 48% of social networking site

users” (p. 3). Social media has become a standard tool for many as a communication

media and source.

A key differentiator between traditional media and social media is that social

media enables individuals and groups to create and send messages, not just receive

information. Social media allow its users to give recommendations (e.g., liking a product

or company) and it is more interactive. This allows two-way communication that

changes the way information is gathered and shared. Social media alters the exchange of

information such that media is no longer just about delivering a message but has

expanded to create an environment for exchanging thoughts and ideas.

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Another key difference between social media and traditional media lies in the

credibility of the information. Lee (2010) asserted that social media “tends to release the

content without verification, unlike in the mass media. Therefore, social media is not yet

capable of replacing traditional media. However, it still has value in four aspects: time,

audience, cost, and relations” (p. 113). The positive aspects of social media seem to

offset the concern with data validity. Also, social media allows people to share and

distribute information more broadly and quickly than with traditional media and

communication methods (Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Lee, 2010).

The trend in social media popularity and usage has caused companies to

implement strategy specific to social media. Social media, when leveraged appropriately,

is beneficial to business (Bhanot, 2012; Culnan, McHugh, & Zubillaga, 2010; Giamanco

& Gregoire, 2012; Roberts, 2012). Bhanot (2012) believed that today's leaders must

embrace social media for several reasons, including (a) it provides a low-cost accessible

way to promote a personal brand; (b) it allows for rapid engagement with peers,

employees, and customers; and (c) it exposes businesses to “instant information and

unvarnished feedback” (p. 48). Social media provide new platforms for businesses to

reach customers and exchange information.

However, along with social media’s growth in use, as with any new business

niche, there are positives and negatives that companies are grappling with as company

leaders strive to make the most profitable use of social media. Two major impacts of

social media have grabbed the attention of company executives: its popularity with

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Millennials and the growth of companies using social media for advertising and

marketing (Piotrowski, 2012).

Recent articles have emphasized that the application of new technology and

media in business is expanding. According to Roberts (2012),

Social technologies are still in the early phase of business-use adoption, but, in

some cases, they are already transforming enterprises by flattening hierarchies,

creating previously unthinkable networks of employees, spurring wider

collaboration aimed at business objectives and even democratizing workplaces.

(p. 30)

The company in my study has recently adopted social media as a marketing tool, and it is

expanding its use by incorporating it into the business. Remidez and Jones (2012) shared

similar sentiments to Roberts (2012), adding that social networks, when strategically

planned and managed, can facilitate communications and ultimately improve decision-

making and operations. Lee and Cho (2011) also emphasized the importance of social

media for business in their broader statement that all adapters of social media influence

others, whether late adopters or early adopters, because of its interactive nature. This

study unveils how these recent technological changes may influence changes to

leadership communication style for one company’s organizations throughout a specific

transition period.

Communication within and throughout a company is critical to how information

is used and interpreted. Social media has changed the way that many people

communicate and connect socially. Initially largely used for personal interaction, it is

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now used by companies for business. Social media platforms have impacted how people

in organizations work due to the level of adaption and frequency of use by GenY

(Groysberg & Slind, 2012; Understanding the Millennial Consumer, 2012). Social

media, mobile technology, and the Millennial workforce have driven the need to change

from top-down, town hall style communication to more collaborative, engaging forums.

The social media concept of two-way exchanges has affected the way leaders interact

with employees as well as how employees interact with leaders (Lee, 2010; Roberts,

2012; Trainor, 2012).

Communication between leaders and employees must be more interactive than in

the past to be successful. Authors Groysberg and Slind (2012) stated, “when a spirit of

inclusion takes hold, engaged employees can adopt important new roles, creating content

themselves and acting as brand ambassadors, thought leaders, and storytellers” (p. 81).

Leader conversations with employees will play a key role in how leaders will engage

with employees in the future to create an interactive work environment. Social media

allows for interactive communication, which can reduce misunderstandings that can

occur during unilateral communication and build corporate trust that organizations need

internally and externally (Lee, 2010).

Communication within and about a project or organization is crucial to its

success. Challenges with communication or communication tools can impact

performance. Face-to-face meetings in today’s business world are a challenge, but online

meetings, video conferencing, instant messaging, and so forth have generally facilitated

virtual communication with associates because they allow real-time exchanges and the

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ability for workers to share pictures, presentations, documents, and just about anything

that can be produced electronically on the Internet. To maintain a company’s success,

leaders must understand and incorporate the latest technology and communication

vehicles to fit its business appropriately.

Although literature about social media has increased in 2013, prior to starting this

study, research pertaining to social media’s impact on business communication and with

respect to globalization and cross-cultural factors was still scant (Bernoff, 2011; Lennon,

Rentfro, and Curran, 2012; Piotrowski, 2012). Piotrowski (2012) stated that there are

“articles and documents on the topic of Facebook, but they seem to deemphasize research

studies that deal with organizational-business factors” (p. 80). The Lennon, Rentfro, and

Curran (2012) study mentioned the need for more research that looks at demographic

variables and social network use as an opportunity in future research. This research

opportunity relates closely to my research since the Millennial demographic has the

largest percentage of social media users, as noted previously.

My research incorporates additional data on how the social media usage and data

trends may impact leadership communication in the context of my case study. As more

Millennials join the workforce, organizations continue to increase social media use for

business purposes. Mobile technology has experienced usage trends similar to those of

social media, with significant increases in usage that have changed how many people

communicate throughout the world.

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Communication Changed with Mobile Technology

Company leaders are dependent on their teams to be productive. This requires

leveraging technology and tools effectively at work. Technology and media changes are

becoming a part of society in day-to-day interaction worldwide. This has also taken hold

in business. A company’s communication culture must take into account the technology

used and the work setting within its organizations. This begs the question of how

communication and technology influence how leaders lead and how followers follow the

leaders. Employees have difficulty communicating when they encounter system

limitations, insufficient or unavailable resources, or time zone concerns and conflicts.

Therefore, companies and leaders must select tools and technology carefully to ensure

that their uses and limitations do not impede them.

The literature discusses the impact of technology-empowered customers and

prompted me to explore it as part of my study. In 2011 there was a significant lag in

literature and organizational responses to the new technology and communication

vehicles. Day (2011) stated, “During periods of technological disruption, most

organizations have trouble keeping pace…. When an organization masters a capability, it

is likely to keep doing it long past the point of obsolescence” (p. 184). When companies

find it difficult to keep pace with technological disruptors, it underscores the problem. In

2013 more companies and more studies have focused on mobile technology and social

media and its uses for business.

Since innovation is a key factor in companies remaining competitive, not having

adequate structures in place needed to implement or react to external changes and new

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technology can be detrimental. While the literature underscores the immersion of

technology and its impact on society, it also emphasizes the gap or lag in its application

within many organizations. This study particularly focuses on mobile technology,

globalization, and social media, since these recent phenomena have become status quo

for many Millennials.

Mobile technology usage has increased significantly over the past 10 to 15 years,

especially since mobile phones are more accessible than any other form of information

and communication technology (ICT) (De Reuver, Stein, & Hampe, 2013; Dietel,

McMann, Bosco, & Harvey, 2011; Hinks, 2012; Ladd, Datta, Sarker, & Yanjun, 2010;).

Mobile devices have become an integral part of people’s lives. Kaufman (2011) stated

that, “By 2014, it is estimated that mobile Internet use will overtake desktop Internet use”

(p. 547). A contributing factor identified in the literature is the mobile computing

phenomenon that is transforming societies that previously did not have access to

computers, and the fact that mobile computing adoption rates in recent years are higher in

developing nations than in developed nations (Ladd, 2010).

Computing is increasingly mobile. Krell (2012) discussed customer service and

stated that, “Everything is exposed thanks to the internet, mobility, and social media [and

today 80% of customers rely on technology while they shop]” (p. 6). According to the

literature mobile ICT, when leveraged appropriately, is beneficial and sometimes

necessary for business since the power has shifted to the customers that leverage mobile

technology when making decisions about purchases. Sarker, Xiao, Sarker, and Ahuja

(2012) summarize key benefits of organizations using mobile technology:

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• The potential for 24x7 uninterrupted connectivity to human as well as information

resources

• Increased flexibility

• Improved coordination

• Increased productivity through flexibility in time management

• Pleasure and enjoyment

• Availability of multiple media and genres of communication suited for different

scenarios. (p. 144)

Dery and MacCormick (2012) highlighted positive attributes of mobile technology for

business executives and stated that, “In addition to mobile technology making it easier to

get out of the office, the executives felt that there were now opportunities to spend more

time at home while still being connected to work” (p. 161). Mobile technology is now a

necessary tool for leaders to stay connected to work.

According to LMX theory, as noted as part of the theoretical framework for this

study, the quality of leaders’ communication is key in employee performance. The

literature points out that mobile technology may help or hinder productivity depending on

whether and how it is used and governed by leaders (Dietel, McMann, Bosco, & Harvey,

2011). Specifically, leaders today still use email as a primary method of communication.

According to Deitel et al. (2011):

In a global survey, 67 percent of senior executives and managers said their

organization would be more productive if their superiors communicated more

often by personal discussion. In contrast to their opinions in this regard, the top

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personal method of communicating for these same business leaders is e-mail,

based on the survey by NFI Research. (p. 1280)

However, recently organizations have seen a shift in how leaders and employees are

using mobile technology, from a means to gain mobility (ability to work anytime from

varied locations) to a means to stay connected to work (Dery and MacCormick, 2012).

Ladd et al. (2010) specified that, “upwards of 70 percent of business users now report

accessing their business data via a mobile device” (p. 286). The shift to using mobile

technology in organizations has changed the way that employees and leaders

communicate at work.

The use of mobile technology may have less to do with personal preference and

more to do with the company’s culture, the individual’s role within the company, or the

practicality in the context of the meeting or function (Dietelet al., 2011; Sarker et al.,

2012). The adaption of mobile technology can help improve quality and speed of

information transfer from person to person, which helps to improve organizational

efficiency and effectiveness. However, many corporations have been slow to adapt

mobile technology as part of their business processes (Leidner, Pan, Sutanto, & Brown,

2012; Saccol, Manica, and Elaluf-Calderwood, 2011). This is largely due to the

complexity and duality of its implementation, which Leidner et al. (2012) captured in this

paragraph:

Organizations are learning to use mobility to create high performance workplaces

and to enable green initiatives, all the while dealing with an array of important

decisions such as which devices to support, how much security to require, how

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many devices per employee to allow, how to protect privileged information,

which applications to whitelist or blacklist, and which enterprise applications to

make accessible to mobile devices. (p. 4)

Hinks (2012) and Ladd et al. (2010) agreed with this assessment, while Luo, Warkentin,

and Li (2013) emphasized that the caution is not necessarily warranted as the productivity

and performance benefits of mobile technology implementation may outweigh the risks.

However, the decision to leverage mobile technology is influenced by the organizational

demographics and culture as well as the individuals, as noted throughout this section.

According to the literature, many companies have adopted mobile technology and

reap the benefits. Mobile technology can provide flexibility and convenience as well as

facilitate work/life balance, multitasking, and increased productivity (Dery &

MacCormick, 2012; Dietel et al (2011), Leidner et al. (2012); Luo et al., 2013; Sarker et

al., 2012). Mobile technology allows resources to work together and connect directly

through various web and mobile technology applications without being in the same

location at the same time.

Mobility and social media, largely influenced by Gen Y in the workplace (as

covered in the “Communication Changed with Social Media” section), combined to force

changes in how organizations work and perform. This changed the way people

communicate and connect with other people at work. Additionally, social media has

caused significant cultural change within organizations because junior members are often

more fluent in what social media can do and how it drives business (Krell, 2012).

Luo et al. (2013) explored how organizations use mobile technology internally

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and externally as well as the mobile office (MO) phenomenon: workers accessing

corporate networks on the road, at home, and at work via mobile devices and uploading

and downloading data, voice, and video. According to Luo et al., “MO has great

potential to become one of the most widely utilized m-business solutions.... As such, MO

can enhance productivity for employees, since having real-time access to business

information can significantly increase productivity and overall corporate profitability” (p.

66). Social media and mobile technology have influenced changes to communication at

work to be more interactive and collaborative (Bhanot, 2012).

The literature points out that mobile technology has introduced some

communication challenges in the workplace. The lack of standardization of and across

mobile devices and usage is a challenge for organizations (Deitel et al., 2011; Hinks,

2012; Leidner et al., 2012; Saccol et al., 2011). Leidner et al. (2012) commented that, “A

common theme in the papers is that there is no one-size-fits-all mobility strategy. Instead,

companies must allow for not only different devices, but also different approaches to

mobility” (p. 3). Hinks (2012) adds that the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

phenomenon exacerbates data and security concerns.

The literature discussed advantages and pitfalls of communication with mobile

technology that echoed the themes of globalization and social media. Personal

interactions influence the level of trust and confidence employees have in others within

their organization. Therefore, leaders need to manage mobile device use protocol to

ensure that the benefits of mobile device use are emphasized over any negative behavior,

work/life balance issues, and device abuse at work (Deitel et al., 2011; Dery et al., 2012).

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Organizations are more productive when leaders create a mobile communication

strategy. Deitel et al. (2011) stated that, “The design of communications technology

systems in organizations needs to become a conscious process. More often than not, these

systems have evolved without direction and have led to deterioration of organizational

communications” (p. 1283). Sarker et al. (2012) echoed these sentiments but stressed

that leaders should give guidelines on how and when mobile devices should be used, in

order to improve employee productivity without interfering in their personal lives.

Leaders can avoid potential negative impact on work/life balance by communicating and

reinforcing strategy for mobile technology use.

There are few studies that focus on the use of mobile and wireless technology

within organizations, and a scarcity in articles about organizational performance impacts

related to mobile technology (Ladd et al., 2010; Luo et al., 2013; Saccol et al., 2011).

Saccol et al. (2011) asserted that although research exists on the increase in mobile

technology applications, there are few studies about efforts to improve organizational

efficiency and effectiveness using mobile technology. Ladd et al. (2010) commented that

few studies “discussed the internal business value chain proposition, i.e., how mobile

communication devices led to increased individual performance, and how individual/firm

usage of mobile communication devices increased overall firm performance” (p. 294). I

also found few studies in my search that explored the performance benefits or value of

increased mobile technology use in organizations.

In addition to performance, another gap in the literature about mobile technology

is the aspect of workforce mobility and its impact on communication. Luo et al. (2013)

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specifically studied the mobile office (MO) phenomenon—employees’ ability to work

anytime, anywhere—and asserted that “A lack of studies directly investigating the

adoption and diffusion patterns of MO is to be expected due to the newness of the MO

initiatives per se” (p. 66). I partially address these gaps through my case study on how

globalization, Millennials, social media, and mobile technology use might impact

leadership communication style and effectiveness.

Communication is core to leadership success, and technology and devices used to

communicate are equally important. It is crucial for leaders to decide what to

communicate, but they must also determine the optimal way to communicate it. This

topic is another area that may indicate the opportunity for additional exploration. In

another research question I ask: What can be done to improve or close the gap in

leadership success? Communication, starting with this study, can help to unveil new

information that highlights new trends and provides new understanding that can impact

employee performance.

Communication Challenges for Existing Leaders

As mentioned in the introduction, most of the literature speaks about the

importance of good leadership; however, a gap exists where the latest technology, media,

globalization, and leadership meet. Badawy (1998) suggested, “The idea that a good

manager can manage anything regardless of its technological base is simplistic,

misleading, and must be abandoned” (p. 96). Globalization and technology have

intersected to create new challenges for leaders. Specifically, with the advent of social

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media, the speed at which people communicate news and information pose new

challenges those leaders must manage.

Effective leadership communication remains a frequent topic in the literature.

Companies require good leader communication to fill information gaps throughout the

workplace. Today many managers feel leadership communication can improve

(Hastings, 2012). Leadership communication is critical where leaders implement

organizational changes. Bevan (2011) asserts that:

Effective management of change requires leaders to be very clear about the

purpose and the process; seek input and information from those involved and

affected; deploy sufficient resources to manage the transition without losing focus

on day-to-day business processes; and maintain an effective multi-directional

flow of communication and information. (p. 4)

As organizations expand global boundaries and change to incorporate mobile and

social technologies, leadership communication must support these changes. A key

challenge for today’s leaders is controlling the flow and content of information.

Another leadership communication challenge is how to achieve performance

objectives. Abugre (2011) found, “Effective organizational communication can be

possible if organizational leadership improve on their communication methods and create

unrestricted access of communication media to their workers” (p. 13). When efficient

communication structures are in place, leaders have greater success in achieving their

objectives because employees are more satisfied and consequently more productive. In

this study I asked employees about their use of social media and mobile technology for

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communication at work to help understand current employee communication methods at

work that may influence worker satisfaction and subsequent performance.

Leaders must be able to influence organizational performance. Within global

organizations leaders face unique challenges in being able to communicate goals and

objectives as well as the standard behaviors and values that employees are expected to

exhibit in achieving performance goals. Neera et al. (2010) stated that, “values act as the

bedrock of an organization. Leadership must ensure that the values remain at the core of

the way an organization functions and are not lost sight of or jettisoned in the drive to

achieve results” (p. 23). Employees work better in environments where the values are

understood and they can relate to them (Barsh, Mogelof, & Webb, 2010; Clawson, 2009;

Mason, 2012; Neera et al., 2010). Therefore, as values shift with the Millennial

generation, leaders must be able to communicate effectively across organizations to build

a solid foundation that allows employees to thrive.

Additionally, once desired performance levels are achieved, leaders must keep

talented leaders effective and engaged. Company leaders face this challenge today and it

is exacerbated in the boundary-less environment (Aggarwal, 2011). Demographics,

sustainability, technology, and globalization are interrelated. It is important to

understand the relationship between them and how they ultimately will impact leadership

communication. Workforce shifts, mobile technology, social media, and globalization

have influenced multiple layers of organizational changes. Leadership communication is

necessary to carry companies through the layers of change that occur simultaneously in

today’s organizations. With the globalization of Fortune 500 companies, effective

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management and implementation of multiple changes is a frequent topic in current

literature. Globalization forces the need for teams to communicate virtually throughout

the globe.

Other literature explored the advantages and disadvantages of virtual teams and

stressed that traditional productivity risks are further exacerbated by the regional

locations and cultural dimensions experienced by globally distributed teams. Since

communication is a critical factor to success, managers must have the ability to

communicate well and they must develop ways to facilitate communication within the

teams to decrease the risk. Weimann et al. (2010) analyzed effectiveness of

communication based on varying factors, including

• Same time and same place;

• Same time and different place;

• Different time and same place; and

• Different time and different place.

Video teleconferencing with recording features and web-based media allow for

information to be communicated simultaneously in varying locations, or recorded and

then broadcast or viewed at a later time in different locations.

Various communication media have varying ability to transfer information.

Further, communication frequency and the proximity of the parties communicating (face-

to-face, phone, VTC, etc.) will have an effect on how information is processed. Today, it

is necessary to view leadership communication with a global mindset (Weimann et al.,

2010). Advancements in technology have significantly changed the way we work and

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live. Organizations are changing quickly to keep up with the influences of varied

cultures, varied traditions, and varied lifestyles of their workforce that all need to be

accommodated to work together effectively (Groysberg and Slind (2012); Penney, 2011).

My study seeks to answer how the shifts in the workforce, both demographically and

regionally, based on company globalization efforts are affecting leader communication.

Leaders are no longer judged by lineage, gender, or even the size of their office;

how well one communicates and transfers information is the key to advancement and

respect (Clawson, 2009, p. 58). However, communication effectiveness depends on the

complexity of the task or complexity of the information communicated, which makes a

difference in the transfer of information. Flexibility is needed, as well as proper focus on

softer skills in management, in order for leaders to be successful in their careers.

Another challenge is the interdependency of culture (across the globe), legal and

regulatory restrictions, and the impact on and of technology. The effects of technology

and globalization are reciprocal (Aggarwal, 2011). Virtual teams have become

commonplace since technology, social media, and changes in corporate culture have

changed how employees work. The changing boundary-less environment has also

introduced the need for leaders to change the way they communicate and engage with

their global workforce. As the global mindset has shifted to accommodate the boundary-

less environment, it presents the question of how globalization may continue to influence

changes to how the workforce at the company I studied will communicate across the

globe.

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The ability to build and maintain relationships, attract and retain customers,

communicate with organizational members and followers, and motivate others, are some

of the other factors that challenge leaders. Additionally, effective leadership requires the

ability to empower employees to take on greater responsibility and decision-making. The

basic conditions for a team to work effectively include (a) the leader’s individual skill

and (b) how effectively the leader “stacks the deck” or organizes the team based on the

team’s makeup (Hickman, 2010, p. 212). A good leader communicates well, facilitates

tasks toward specified goals and objectives, and will organize the team to support the

most effective use of available resources.

The applicability of leadership communication styles varies based on

organizational settings. However, when a leader can combine others’ priorities with his

vision or goals, then the best outcomes can be achieved. Leadership communication

must effectively relay messages, goals, and leader visions to followers while allowing an

upward flow of information from followers. Two-way communication helps the

leader facilitate his followers’ ability to reach their own goals, and it helps inspire

followers to reach the leader’s vision for the organization. However, as the company

experiences changes, this will become more challenging for leaders. The leader is

ultimately responsible for the actions of associates to ensure they understand company

vision, internalize the company brand, and contribute to its success.

It will be especially important for leaders to recognize the changes being

introduced to today’s workforce and technologies that support it. Hewlett et al. (2009)

stated, “The organizations that thrive will be those that recognize their people’s shifting

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values and preferences—and that find ways to make the work meaningful on those

terms” (p. 76). To remain successful, leaders must remain connected, open-minded, and

flexible. This research seeks to understand this by asking pointed questions to

Millennials and their leaders about how technology can be used more effectively. With

changes in technology and social media, as well as shifting global footprint, it is more

challenging for leaders to reach their whole workforce.

Communication helps leaders connect with employees, but is especially

challenging in a global company. Leaders with a good connection to the workers can

overcome complications introduced with demographic differences in the workforce,

including generational. Work and life balance becomes of key importance. Leaders

should assess their values and beliefs to prioritize their needs and desires and then

translate that into their own words and actions (Barsh et al., 2010).

The primary motive for this study is to determine ways that leader communication

methods or communication content can be more effective in light of new technology,

media, and the global organizational environment. Although technology facilitates the

transference of information, it also introduces challenges for people to exhibit and

interpret emotion and context. This case study seeks to uncover new information that

helps to answer the research questions and find ways to maintain or improve worker

performance through leadership communication.

Building on the impacts on communication discussed in the previous sections,

globalization introduces unique challenges to leaders as organizations flatten. According

to Clawson (2009) the best leadership (i.e., Level Three Leadership) entails recognition

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of how to influence based on the three levels human behavior—(a) visible behavior; (b)

conscious thought; and (c) semiconscious values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations

(VABEs)—and how they interplay within an organization. Level Three Leadership is

challenged by globalization as VABEs change from region to region around the globe.

Communication becomes more challenging in global organizations that need to

consider cross-cultural dimensions and conflicting views. Perruci (2011) noted that,

“globalization is breaking down national barriers and forcing Millennials to confront the

cross-cultural dimensions of leadership. As they become involved in global movements,

values and norms do not always mesh up” (p. 86). Leaders face challenges in how they

communicate visibly, consciously, and semiconsciously.

In 2013, there were few articles that addressed the impact of the social media and

mobile technology innovations on business. Now, there are more studies and articles

about the topic that discuss companies that are starting to increase the use of these

technologies. Companies are starting to investigate how to incorporate them into their

business. Leadership communication strategy is something that had not been leveraged

greatly within the company I studied; it was recognized by leadership as a gap that I

would study by starting to discuss this with the Millennial workforce. I investigated how

this global company can leverage mobile technology and social media to alleviate some

of its leadership communication challenges.

Although a quantitative study such as experimental design or survey research

could have worked for my study, I preferred to use a direct approach with the narrow

focus allowed with interviews and observation as part of case study. This allowed greater

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depth of meaning and potential drivers of the leadership communication phenomenon I

mentioned in my introduction. I chose case study because it would allow for multiple

inputs from the various participants that I could then cross-reference.

I amassed hundreds of pages of information to analyze with multiple inputs that

provided better support for my findings. Grounded theory would not have worked as an

alternative method because it seeks to develop new theory where little or no theory exists;

there are several theories about the leadership communication topic. In case study, the

researcher seeks do an in-depth study on some situation (the case) over a period of time.

Therefore, I opened the study with a theory that may or may not change based on input

from the participants.

Summary and Conclusions

During the literature review, I discovered several articles that included studies on

leadership communication and leadership in general, but not many examined

globalization, mobile technology, and social media together with their impact on

leadership communication involving the Millennial workforce. Additionally, there is not

a lot of information about the influence of these factors in a global insurance company

that is a consumer of these tools and practices. This case study allowed exploration of

the leadership communication phenomenon in the context of one company’s

implementation of globalization and internal company changes to restructure to meet the

demands of external impacts such as mobile technology and social media.

Leadership’s ability to communicate well with employees is key to a company’s

success. What seems to be missing from the literature, what is not known today, is

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whether employee performance may be impacted by leadership communication changes

driven by mobile technology, social media, and globalization. Articles surfaced over the

past few years with more focus on business use of social media and social technology;

however, most did not get into great depth and indicated that research regarding use of

social media for business is a possibility for future research.

In 2015 more articles surfaced regarding the topic of social media in business.

Specifically Aichner and Jacob (2015) stressed that, “not all social media platforms are

relevant for business. While social networks, video-sharing platforms and business

networks are of high interest, other types of social media, such as photo sharing, social

bookmarking or social gaming, might be less important in absolute terms and of less

interest to companies because the scope of application is limited”. Therefore I paid close

attention to how social media was and should be applied at the company.

Other researchers addressed the importance of communication in leadership and

that communication styles between leaders and employees is changing to be less top-

down, more two-way. I examined this company’s use of social media, social technology,

and collaboration tools that may influence leader communication in terms of format and

effectiveness as part of this study.

I specifically focused on Millennial employees to identify any specific changes to

leadership communication attributable to this demographic. Millennials are increasingly

joining the workforce across the globe, and as the workforce shifts, especially with their

increased use of social media and mobile technology and as greater adoption of the global

mindset persists, information about the impact on leadership communication becomes

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more important. The literature indicated that these factors could have a significant

impact on leadership communication, which makes this study relevant and timely.

Throughout the literature review I revealed common themes that have surfaced

from the literature. These themes included (a) the influence of globalization, innovation,

and technology on leadership communication; (b) the influence Millennials have had on

communication in business; (c) the role of leadership communication in a global

company; and (d) leadership communication effectiveness. Additionally, recent articles

highlighted the fact that the confluence of the technology, media, and demographic trends

has resulted in the need to reexamine business needs. Business needs include the need to

look at how these changes influence leadership communication, especially as the

workforce shifts to include more Millennials at this company.

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Chapter 3: Research Method

Introduction

This chapter includes a description of the case study design that I used to explore

how globalization, mobile technology, and social media might change leadership

communication style. The problem investigated in this study was the unclear influence of

external factors on companies and how these may have created new ways for leaders to

communicate with workers. The literature does not include significant information about

how globalization, social media, and mobile technology affected leadership

communication and then subsequently effect worker performance as more Millennials

joined the workforce. Current research related to this topic includes traditional

discussions of good leadership qualities. The purpose of the study was to surface new

information about how these factors may affect recent phenomena, namely changes in

leadership communication, since leadership communication is key to leadership

performance and effectiveness and can influence worker performance.

One driver for my choice of method is that case study will ensure richness in the

information in the context of the company and current organizational changes enacted to

create a strong global company. The information will be helpful to my audience and also

helped me to develop new information that my target audience can use to improve leader

communication. In this chapter, I discuss the research method through four subtopics:

1. Research and design rationale

2. Role of the researcher

3. Methodology

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4. Issues of Trustworthiness.

The chapter closes with a summary of these topics and a description of how this method

will support the study.

Research Design and Rationale

The research for this study was designed to best analyze the influence of the three

named factors on leadership communication involving Millennials. A case study design

allows the researcher to do an in-depth study on some situation (the case) over a period of

time. A core benefit of case study is that it allows for multiple inputs from the various

participants. By using the case study approach in this study, I obtained multiple inputs

from the various participants, which allowed me to gain greater insight directly from

current employees who are part of the company workforce.

I needed to sift through data to get adequate information to determine new

findings in the context of this study. My goal was to appropriately leverage all phases of

the process to obtain new ideas and information that can add to the body of knowledge

available. Since the case study approach involved using data and strategically coding the

data to uncover new ideas, I believed that case study was the best fit because the

approach compliments the goal to better understand the influence of globalization, mobile

technology, and social media on leadership communication.

The research consisted of four major steps:

1. a review of current literature and existing leadership theories;

2. the development of a set of core questions with regard to current

technology and leadership influence (internal and external) to use

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throughout data collection that will evolve as data is gathered through

various interviews (preparation) and analyzed iteratively;

3. review data sources such as leader meeting materials, survey data, HR

data sources, and organizational metrics for triangulation with

interview data; and

4. the final step was to identify successful communication methods and

then report the results throughout positive social change actions.

A key strength of the case study was the way that data are limited to a small

sample to allow for enough time to thoroughly review data and identify themes within

and across the cases. This allowed for new discovery and for me to dig into particular

concerns of the participants. This methodology required a thorough review of data and

allows for an in-depth collection of data that can produce richness in the information that

helps to reinforce the study. A weakness of the case study approach is that the data are

not generalizable and are restricted to the context of the study. Another weakness is that

the methodology requires patience throughout data collection and data analysis. The

methodology is severely dependent on the quality of the data, the researchers’ skill, and

their ability to be meticulously organized.

A case study design was appropriate for this study because the methodology

provides the best support for its goal, to analyze Millennials in this particular context. In

this case study I interviewed and observed workers to find new information about

leadership communication that will help resolve the problem. I collected data that I then

coded and analyzed by cross-referencing data. This method allowed me to interview

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Millennials to gain information about their perspective and knowledge, determine codes,

cross-compare the information with participants in leadership positions, and determine

more information about leadership in the corporate environment. Specifically, this

methodology helped me review the question of whether leadership communication

changes as a company expands and evolves globally in the wake of mobile technology

and social media immersion while the Millennial presence increases in the workforce.

Role of Researcher

In my role as researcher I observed the progress of Millennial entry-level to mid-

level associates after their first year at work and then solicited their insights and

perspectives to determine how new technology, social media, and globalization could

influence changes in leadership communication. I received inputs from the small group

of participants that allowed me to gain greater insight directly from current employees

who will be a part of the future workforce. The smaller sample allowed me to analyze

the information in greater depth of detail.

I leveraged any data that contributed relevant information and fit the context of

the study. The information obtained in this study allowed me to learn new things about

individuals, groups, and the environment that were revealed in this particular context.

My target audience includes company leaders, executives, and managers. Therefore, I

emphasized the most useful and relevant information to help leaders plan better for future

training and skills specific to the fast-paced technological changes and environment that

forces Millennials and leaders to continually improve their companies.

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Methodology

Participant Selection Logic

The population, including sample and setting, is a key element of any study.

Further, in case studies the sample is a particularly key element because the initial

sample, along with the results of the data collected based on this sample, determine the

next steps. In other words, the sample provides the data that in turn informs the study of

new ideas and opportunities for subsequent research.

I selected participants for the interviews that fit the target population based on

demographic data provided by the Human Resources (HR) department and according to

the definition provided in Chapter 1 for Millennial and leader participants. I used a

purposeful sampling strategy to recruit the candidates to interview. Participation in this

study was strictly voluntary. I provided the participants background information on the

study as well as the expected level of involvement and time required.

The sample size in my study was limited to 17 participants from various groups

within the company so that I could obtain the most depth during each interview and be

able cross-reference the information to review patterns across the different participant

interviews. This number of participants was sufficient for the study since data collection

was quite extensive and I was able to produce significant data. I limited the sample to

allow for enough time to thoroughly review data and identify themes within and across

the participants. I needed to refine data and participants as the research progressed I

followed up with participants within the company as needed for clarification. Finally, I

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reviewed the data until I reached the saturation point as themes began to resurface across

data sources, which indicated that the sample was sufficient.

The setting for this research was the company where I am employed. Since I

worked for the company, I was able to gain access to the site easily and plan to work

directly with the participants in the context of this study to gain trust. The sample

allowed for a good set of responses that I used as input to my study. Creswell (2007)

suggested, “ a hallmark of all good qualitative research is the report of multiple

perspectives that range over the entire spectrum of perspectives” (p. 122). Therefore, I

planned the research using the best candidates, approach, and framework while

employing appropriate strategies for validation to ensure accuracy.

The data complemented the study by providing insight about the Millennial

generation and current leadership practices at the company that helped answer the

research questions and revealed new information about the problem. At the time of the

study, the population included a diverse workforce with a presence in over 50 countries

throughout North and South America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The focus of this study was on U.S.-based employees who are impacted directly or

indirectly by the company’s shifting global presence and location strategy.

The participants were Millennial employees who may or may not hold leadership

positions, as well as company leaders who may or may not be in the Millennial

demographic. I used a purposive sampling process by seeking out those who fit the

Millennial criteria, and then identified leaders I would like to interview and asked them to

participate in the study.

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Instrumentation

Several tools were used as data sources for this study; most data, however, were

derived from interviews and observation. I interviewed 17 employees, including

Millennials and their managers. I used self-designed observation sheets and interview

protocol based on my research questions, as well as audiotape, HR demographic data,

organizational survey data, HR employee ratings processes, company performance

information, company survey data, and meeting materials (e.g., presentations) that were

necessary to support the study.

The researcher-designed instruments were sufficient for data collection since this

study is based on emerging information from interviews and observations. The data

collection instruments were designed and created to fit the context of this study.

Additionally, I used recording devices to facilitate the data capture during interviews.

The observation worksheet was used to collect data in a two-column table format.

I used the first column to document my observation notes, and the second column to

record my initial interpretation of that observation. Table 1 shows how the observation

data aligned to my research questions.

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Table 1

Observation Worksheet Aligning Observations With the Research Questions

Research Questions Observation Notes Observation Interpretations

How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media impact leadership communication style in your company (workplace)?

What technology/social media or other tools are used to facilitate communication?

Will employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?

How do participants interact throughout the meeting/ discussion? (Leadership panel, leader to participants, guest presenter, participant to leader, participant to participant) Are participants in the same location? Are all participants in the same time zone? Are some participants on a telephone call/conference call? Is there a web presentation? Are there PowerPoint presentations? Is video technology used? (Telepresence, video teleconference, video streaming, video recording, Skype) Can participants participate using mobile technology? Is collaboration software used? What other meeting materials are used? Is there opportunity for participants to ask/answer questions?

What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?

Does subject matter include global company, globalization, and/or world? Does subject matter include social technology, social networking, and/or social media? Does subject matter include mobility, mobile technology, mobile usage, and/or mobile tools? Does subject matter include changes or impacts of globalization, social media, or technology over time? Does subject matter include organizational changes, organizational performance, or organizational impacts? Who discusses the topics? Employee? Leader? Both?

How do globalization, social media, and mobile technology impact leadership communication effectiveness?

Do participants express ideas/topics/answers clearly? Is there a two-way flow of information? What methods are used to ensure clarity of information, performance, and tasks? Does communication appear to be executed effectively?

How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social media affecting communication at work, and how does each impact communication differently?

How many forms of communication are incorporated into the discussion? Do the participants/leaders always use the same format? Is there any difference in method or style observed from previous meetings? How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate communication? Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social media, mobile technology, both?

How have globalization, mobile technology, and social media impacted communication quality? Has one impacted communication quality more than the others?

Is there good leader communication? What changes are observed or experienced in leadership communication style? Are participants engaged in two-way conversation with employees/leaders? Is it effective (how do you know its effective)? Do globalization, social media and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communication? How does this meeting compare to other meetings? (Number of participants, employee grade level of participants, proximity of participants, engagement of participants)

Other Observations

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The interview protocol (see Table 2) included 61 open-ended and closed-ended

questions that align to the research questions. The topics included the following:

• Demographic information

• Technology savvy

• Employment information

• Organizational communication

• Leadership communication

• Organizational effectiveness

• Opportunities.

I organized and used the data from the interviews to determine categories of data and

themes that surface that I will analyze further. The interview questions listed in Table 1

prompted responses that helped to feed my study and revealed new concepts that I

discovered during data analysis.

Table 2

Interview Protocol Aligning Interviews With the Research Questions

Research Questions Interview Questions How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media impact leadership communication style in your company (workplace)?

Workplace: Do you consider the company global? How do you think the globalization of your company has influenced the way you work? How does mobile technology influence the way you work? How has social media influenced the way you work? What changes have you experienced as a result of mobile technology and social media?

Will employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?

Communication: In what ways has social media influenced company leader communication? How have company leaders used mobile technology in the last three years? Do you use your smart phone, social media, or tablet at work? For work purposes? How does mobile technology impact the work that you do? How has the company used social media in the last three years? How has social media impacted the work that you do?

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Research Questions Interview Questions What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?

Associate role impacts: How do globalization, technology, and social media impact leadership communication effectiveness in your role? What makes a good leader? What changes have you experienced in leadership communication over the last three years in your organization? What changes have you experienced in leadership communication with senior executives over the last three years?

How do globalization, social media, and mobile technology impact leadership communication effectiveness?

Communication changes experienced or observed: How are leadership communication styles different from the communication you yourself use in your daily tasks at work? How do social media and mobile technology impact work communication? What changes have you observed in the last three years in communicating with employees across the globe? What changes do you expect to see in the near future?

How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social media affecting communication at work, and how does each impact communication differently?

Job performance: How much communication is needed to implement tasks you perform? How are tasks implemented most effectively when working with associates globally? Has communication become more complex or easier due to these factors? In what ways has communication changed in the last three years? How much of the change do you feel is attributable to globalization? Mobile technology? Social technology? What changes have you experienced with respect to leader communication? How have these factors changed organizational communication?

How has globalization impacted the need for collaborative forums such as social media?

Collaboration: How have collaboration tools impacted the way you work? Has their use increased over the last three years? In what ways have collaboration tools been used most effectively? Are there other uses for collaboration tools that are not being used? Are collaboration forums necessary for effective communication in your organization?

How have globalization, mobile technology, and social media impacted communication? Has one impacted communication more than the others?

Globalization and diversity: Do globalization, technology, and social media collectively influence the way you work? Have globalization, technology, and social media influenced the way you work with different demographic groups? Do you work differently with various employees to be more productive?

Leadership and communication: What makes a good leader? What changes have you observed or experienced in leadership communication style in the past three years? Do you engage in two-way conversation with employees/leaders? How? Do globalization, social media, and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communication?

How are certain communication methods or styles more effective than others for leaders, individual contributors, or both?

Organizational communication: Have you observed or experienced changes in leadership communication style in the past three years? Do you engage in two-way conversations with employees? Do globalization, social media, and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communications? How often do you interact with leadership? How often do you hear from leadership? Do you feel that it is adequate? Can current leaders communicate more effectively? How? How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate communication? Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social media, mobile technology, both?

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Research Questions Interview Questions How can current leaders be more effective? How do social media impact leader communications about organizational changes?

Leadership: Do you feel you could influence changes that could make you or you organization more effective? What are some of the challenges you face? Are globalization, mobile technology, and social media changing leadership influence? How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media influence leadership communication style for Millennials? Is the impact of the three combined greater than the individual impact? What do you think about your current leadership and their use of the latest mobile technology and social media? How can leaders [you] leverage mobile technology and media innovation in ways that make them more successful? How can company leaders work better with Millennials?

Will two-way, frequent communication improve company performance in Millennials, including adherence and achievement of set goals?

Organizational effectiveness: Do you feel that you are as effective as you could be in your current role? Do you feel that your organization is as effective as it could be? What do you consider the biggest hurdle or change that you face in being more effective in your current role? How can mobile technology and social media be used optimally at work?

How do mobile technology, social media and globalization affect leader communications?

Opportunities: What are some opportunities to use mobile technology differently? How can leaders work better with employees overall? How can leaders work better with Millennials?

Participant Information Demographic info:

Are you part of the Millennial demographic (born 1977–2000)? How long have you been employed at the company?

Technology savvy: Do you own a smart phone? How often do you use it? Do you have any active social media accounts? How many? How often do you use it/them? Do you own a tablet? How often do you use it?

Employment information: Please describe your current role in the company. How often do you engage virtually with other employees? What is the most common way that you attain information at work?

(table continues)

The research questions in this instrumentation section Table 2 are a more detailed

version of the research questions presented in Chapter 1. I field-tested the interview

guide with my initial participant to help ensure that the questions were clear to

participants and determine ways to condense or reduce the content. I applied any

necessary adjustments to phrases or terminology needed during the initial interview and

then to subsequent participant interviews to enable consistency across all the interviews.

Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection

I used observation and interviews throughout the study, a direct approach, to

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identify positive and negative thoughts of the participants and then to determine the best

answers. Case study was more appropriate than other methods because it allowed me to

examine existing theories while collecting data and exploring varied perspectives and

backgrounds. The case study methodology involved data collection, followed by

analysis, and then discovery of new information that guided the study to new insights

about leadership communication phenomena at the company.

The interviews were individual 60 – 90 minute sessions with the participants and

were used to gain insight into the participants’ experiences or views. The interviews for

this study were primarily more formal, with questions planned in advance, leveraging the

open-ended question format to derive data from the participants. The initial interviews

included the same questions, which were all held by one person (me). I performed all the

interviews, which helped to ensure consistency in the interview implementation and

helped establish greater validity. However, I also used informal interviews

(conversation) as needed to allow for more flexibility than if strictly formal interviews

were used. Ideally, I sought to interview about 10 Millennial employees and 10 company

leaders.

The observations included periodic worksite observation sessions of 30 to 60

minutes, including attending at least 25 team meetings hosted by managers throughout

the company. I attended and observed more than 10 quarterly scheduled town hall

meetings held by various company executives as well as any interim meetings, such as

organizational change announcement meetings. I used presentation materials from the

meetings as well as any post-meeting survey results, where permissible, from the

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meetings that I attended throughout the research period. I collected the observation data

over time to address research questions 2 and 3, respectively:

• Do employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the

company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?

• How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social

media affecting the style, delivery, and forums for communication at work,

and how does each impact the way that leaders communicate differently?

These observations were triangulated with interview responses to answer the research

questions and capture any change or impact that occurred during the research.

Most live meetings at this company are video-streamed and recorded. I received

permission to use the nonproprietary information from these meetings. Additionally, I

incorporated journal writing into my research, as I have been journaling throughout this

process to document my own reflections and thoughts to help harness personal biases. I

maintained thorough notes to alleviate bias and capture the true essence of what the

participant says or shows during the study, observation, or interviews.

Data Analysis Plan

Data analysis in qualitative field research is an ongoing process; it is an iterative

process that allows data to be refined as the researcher gathers more information. In this

case study the interview transcriptions and field notes were increasingly vital to this

research because they serve as both data that informed me throughout the analysis phase

and, when reported, data that informs the audience and supports the validity of the study.

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The data analysis consisted of a combination of several techniques, including the

following:

1. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns, specifically seeking patterns

from random data. Patton (2002) stated, “content analysis is used to refer to

any qualitative data reduction and sense-making effort that takes a volume of

qualitative material and attempts to identify core consistencies and meanings”

(p. 453). I analyzed data to determine themes and patterns.

2. Inductive and deductive analysis was a secondary type of analysis that I used.

According to Patton (2002), “once patterns, themes, and/or categories have

been established through inductive analysis, the final, confirmatory stage of

qualitative analysis may be deductive in testing and affirming the authenticity

and appropriateness of the inductive content analysis” (p. 454). Inductive and

deductive analysis helped me to refine the data that I used in my assessment.

This analysis can be implemented in the form of social change in sharing the

inductive data results with leaders and determining possible applications or

interim test scenarios.

3. Logical analysis was leveraged since it involves determining emerging

patterns that researchers develop by crossing information and reviewing data

in a different way or different dimensions. It was important for me to cross-

reference information from the participants.

4. Comparative analysis uses comparison to make generalizations across several

participants. It can help to identify patterns that emerge across participants.

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(Patton, 2002, p. 492) Additionally, it helps establish validity in studies as

findings can be reinforced through comparison of data.

These varied techniques allowed me to study several different inputs to eliminate

improper generalizations, and assisted in validation by including varied perspectives and

backgrounds based on the participants selected.

Issues of Trustworthiness

I employed several strategies to establish credibility in my study. Specifically, I

personally transcribed the interviews so that I could discover emerging thoughts and get a

feel for the cumulative data as I listened to the recordings. I used observation worksheets

to collect data throughout the study. Additionally, I collected meeting materials,

organizational survey data, applicable and HR reports to triangulate with my observations

data, and interview data.

I leveraged direct participant quotes to derive the codes and thereby alleviate

unintentional bias and data manipulation that could occur if using purely my individual

thoughts and experiences. Direct information from varied sources helped to prevent data

manipulation when organizing data and limit personal bias, which could have affected

this study. Additionally, I stuck to the context of the study, the corporate global

environment for Millennials, to alleviate the issue of too much data to analyze. Staying

within context is particularly important in case study because of the inductive nature of it.

I focused on the problem, purpose, and research questions for this study, which helped

me to eliminate any preconceived notions and allow new ideas to emerge.

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The approach included the exact words within the text to determine themes within

my research and ultimately develop interpretations of the data that supported the study.

This approach helped me develop emerging codes. I monitored information carefully to

avoid issues of personal bias, as well as ethical concern that could arise because of my

position in the company relative to the participants. Interviews and journals provided

direct information about the participants that I cross-referenced and triangulated to ensure

validity.

I used QSR’s NVivo, developed and released in 1999 by QSR cofounder Tom

Richards, to facilitate the process. This tool helped to organize the data and supported

the research with evidence uncovered and presented in the tool to back up the findings.

NVivo is a popular tool used by students and professionals performing qualitative and

mixed-method research.

NVivo has garnered several awards for technology effectiveness and is used

widely by researchers in over 150 countries. It is well vetted for reliability in its function

as a product used to manage nonnumeric data. The tool fits well with case study and

provides technique to organize data based on the information discovered during the

study. Given the right data, the study could produce great information for its audience

about the target population in the context (Millennials in organizations within large

corporations).

The NVivo tool provides great support for qualitative research. It is critical to use

a robust tool to facilitate data gathering, organization, and presentation of the data in the

study. The NVivo tool acted as a central repository for this study’s internal and external

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resources including books, articles, and interview transcriptions. It allowed me to review

the data and organize participants’ thoughts using codes. It was particularly useful

because of its ability to allow researchers to develop themes and manipulate information

to determine how it relates to the study. These data management techniques were used to

facilitate data analysis for the study.

During comparative analysis I monitored for data saturation (a point where no

additional unique data is found to contribute to the study). Since the data determined the

direction of this study, I took specific care to analyze the sample against saturation. I

guarded against situations that could cause the study to conclude prematurely due to error

in the sample size since an insufficient number of participants could result in false

assumptions about the data.

To support transferability, I ensured that the data collection phase of my study

generated data from interviews, personal journals, and observation. This included

interview transcripts and observation field notes as well as images, articles, and other

relevant items from external sources. Data collection for this study required patience to

execute an iterative process to appropriately analyze data and uncover the important

information that is needed to serve the audience. The qualitative methodology allowed

me to triangulate data, which helped reinforce the reliability and contribute to the

thickness of the information required for this study and its results. The responses and

information provided by the Millennials and leaders was crucial to the study because the

data drives the research, as characteristic of any qualitative study. The data obtained

through observation added another layer of information that helped refine the study.

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I used observation to study Millennial employee collaboration habits and

communication methods, and then document how the workforce is currently using

technology and media and whether there are communication tactics that leaders can

benefit from in communicating with the workforce. I also observed how leaders

interacted with their employees, in order to collect information on communication style

and reactions. I observed as an outsider in many instances, but I acted as a participant

observer in other settings to understand how leadership interacts with all generations in

the workforce. The observations added more data that I used to compare and contrast

against the interview sample data.

I provided all of the coding for this study to establish dependability and ensured

that I considered all data points that I collected. I specifically performed all of the

interviews and observations, recorded the interviews, and took notes the same way with

each observation. Additionally, I was able to review the company’s survey data results to

incorporate triangulation into the study using another source.

To confirm the data I leveraged the quotes from the interviews and took a neutral

stance in documenting any comments that I heard and behaviors that I observed. I was

able to review my notes during data analysis and cross-reference information obtained

from the interviews. This allowed me to confirm and audit the data throughout data

collection and data analysis.

Protection of Participants’ Rights and Informed Consent

Each participant was introduced to the study via an overview, which I used to

describe the study, and then was asked to voluntarily participate. Interview participants

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had the opportunity to opt out at any time throughout the study. I engaged with the

participants as deemed necessary throughout the research, and as based on the data,

themes, and categories that emerged. Additionally, I asked participants to contact me at

any time to discuss their thoughts and responses. I also asked them to be available to

confirm the information they had provided, if needed, after the interviews.

Ethical Procedures

I obtained a verbal agreement to gain access to participants prior to submitting the

IRB application. A sample of this document is included in Appendix C. My community

research partner agreed to assist in participant recruitment and/or data collection prior to

submitting their letter of cooperation with this IRB approval. This helped ensure that I

could use purposeful recruitment strategy based on my affiliation with the organization.

Real names and irrelevant personal data were not used in this dissertation and review

results. The intention of this study, to share information, was presented and reinforced

throughout its duration to ensure the information will be received well by stakeholders

and is informative in ways that improve associate performance.

Participation in the study was strictly voluntary to avoid any perception of

coercion. My role as a researcher was emphasized to ensure participant recognize the

separation from my role in the company. I took thorough notes, using my self-designed

instruments to alleviate bias and capture the true essence of what the participant stated or

showed during the study, observation or interviews. I also took special care to ensure to

include the right participants, information, and detail to support the work. The

anticipated benefits of this research for individual participants is minimal; however, since

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I assessed the needs of the newest generation of corporate business operations and

information technology (IT) employees to determine how some external factors will

influence the leadership communication, the participants’ thoughts and perspectives will

be important because they will help to shape the study.

As stated in the theoretical framework section of Chapter 1, leadership

communication impacts leadership effectiveness and worker performance. Therefore,

this exploration of evolving technology and communication forums is critical to examine

how they may affect leadership effectiveness for the Millennial generation. I used paper,

an audio recorder, and my personal computer during data collection. I also captured

observation notes using the Pages app on my iPad that I ultimately stored in Nvivo. I

used my iPad to view some video-streamed meetings that I attended remotely) or

attended over the web (web meetings). Video is used for some executive conferences

that I observed. However, I did not videotape any interviews or observation sessions. I

stored all data on my personal devices and computer.

All information is password protected and locked away so that no one has access

to it except for me. To facilitate accuracy of data collection, I conducted all interviews

and transcription to ensure better consistency in the delivery and accuracy of data. I will

store all data on my computer and maintain backup copies for at least 5 years and then

dispose of it. Participants could back out of the research at any time during the study;

participation is voluntary. The study and data are not dependent on any one source of

information. If any breaches or a conflict of interest occurred and reassessment becomes

necessary, a re-plan would have occurred to address the issue or discontinue the study. I

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will approach the participants. The names, personal information, and any revealing

descriptive information will not be associated to the data, interviews, and responses.

To prepare for any ethical issues, I conducted preliminary interviews with the

participants to ensure that they understood the purpose of the study and the concepts

being studied. I approached the participants in person. The names, personal information,

and any revealing descriptive information will not be associated to the data, interviews,

and responses. The participants were required to sign informed consent forms, which

outlined the study goals and their role in the study. All information was confidential. I

received permission from the participants and the worksite in advance. Further, I

communicated with the participants periodically throughout the study to inform them of

theories identified as well as supporting information (or findings) to ensure there was not

a breach of trust.

Summary

This exploration of evolving technology and communication forums to determine

how these factors may change leadership influence on the Millennial demographic is

critical. This study leveraged the process outlined in the introduction of this chapter to

discover data and information, using a case study approach to drive the research forward.

The research was complex because of the broad range of topics that I chose to bring

together to see how they interacted, in order to introduce new knowledge about

leadership communication.

Leaders must be cognizant of current trends and theories, as well as processes that

others are using, thinking about, or studying, to remain successful leaders in the future.

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During this study, I used qualitative methods to assess the needs of the latest generation

of employees to determine how this information influenced current leadership trends that

could help address the gap in current literature and current leadership practices. The key

factors highlighted by the research questions have changed organizational

communication in new and different ways.

The information obtained as a result of this case study has also helped to educate

others and influenced how people communicate best to ensure that the work gets done

every day. This study contributed to improvements in leadership and consequently

worker performance as interviews and discussion of the topic sparked new thoughts while

participants reflected on their answers to the interview questions. I explored leadership

theory and concepts throughout the research as described in this chapter and then

throughout the implementation of the study.

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Chapter 4: Results

The purpose of this study was to assess Millennial employees and leaders to

determine the preferred leadership communication style in light of globalization, mobile

technology, and social media, and thereby to identify how leaders could best

communicate with employees. The case study methodology was employed to help

answer the following research questions:

1. What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social

media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?

2. How do employees use more collaborative, two-way communication as the

company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location?

3. How are the combination of globalization, mobile technology, and social

media affecting the style, delivery, and forums for communication at work,

and how does each impact the way that leaders communicate differently?

4. What is the relationship between globalization and collaborative forums such

as social media?

5. How are certain communication methods or styles more effective than

others for leaders, individual contributors, or both?

6. How do two-way, frequent communication influence company performance in

Millennials, including adherence and achievement of set goals?

In this chapter I reviewed the execution and results of the study, which included

interviews as well as formal and informal observations and how these compared to the

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literature discussed in Chapter 2. I organized the results by the research questions as

written in this paragraph.

Research Setting

The study was very timely as the study site was undergoing several changes to

meet a strategy of being world-class. Therefore specific efforts and strategy were

implemented that included global strategy; a location strategy was launched just prior to

the inception of the study that resulted in organizational structure changes, changes to the

organizational footprint in the United States, and changes in leadership that occurred

during the study window. The company experienced several site closures while opening

up two new hubs and redesigning and renovating several existing hub sites. Thousands

of people were impacted by the changes as existing employees either retired, left the

company, relocated, or experienced significant changes in the associates they worked

with on their teams, while still attending to the day-to-day business goals and objectives.

The complexity of multiple simultaneous changes significantly influenced the

population of the study, interview responses, and state of the organization over the 18

months that the study took place. These factors had significant influence on how

communication might be altered to help the company adjust to the changing

demographics, strategy, and organizational footprint and remain effective as an

organization. Throughout the study I focused on tracking how these changes over time

might impact the data, analysis, and results. In fact, a key driver of the study was to

analyze how globalization, mobile technology, and social media might influence

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communication over time. The time frame of the study helped to track this company

during this pivotal time of change and growth.

Demographics

There were several participants included in the study as part of the interview

process and observations. I interviewed nine Millennial employees, eight non-Millennial

leaders, including 2 Millennial leader participants as part of this study. The participants

reflected the company’s workforce and were diverse in culture, ethnicity, age, sex, and

experience within and outside of the company.

As part of the interview process I used purposeful selection to include participants

from various U.S. regions, business functions, IT organizations, and departments at the

company. I also included several survey-like questions at the end of the interview to get

a feel for each participant’s exposure to and level of expertise with mobile technology

and social media. Although I originally targeted more than 20 participants, factors such

as data saturation and changing population, which made it difficult to find willing and

available participants, influenced the count of the sample data used for this study.

The observations were conducted on 15 town hall structured meetings hosted by

senior leaders throughout the company in six locations. Many of the meetings were

video-streamed and recorded so as to allow both in-person and remote access to the

messages and information shared in the meeting. Many of the meetings included global

participation and allowed for question-and-answer (Q&A) segments for those attending.

A third data stream came from 10 periodic onsite observations that allowed me to

sit and observe employees at several locations across the United States in formal and

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informal meeting setting throughout the study. These mostly focused on manager-to-

associate and peer-to-peer interactions to observe how the communication took place and

its perceived effectiveness. The onsite observations also helped to determine any

changes in how people communicated or leveraged tools as the organization’s workforce

and availability of resources—including mobile technology and collaboration tools—

changed over time.

Data Collection

This study took place at the company over 18 months, from spring 2014 through

summer 2015, with 17 interview participants and the observations of hundreds of

associates at six different sites across the United States. The observations included

informal and formal settings where leaders shared and exchanged information with

organizations and teams using various communication forums and styles. Each of the six

executive leaders hosted quarterly updates that contributed to the observations used in

this study. Additionally, I was able to formally observe seven of the leader interview

participants in meetings and informally observe several other leaders across the company.

The participants were based in six different sites across the United States:

Somerset and Bridgewater, New Jersey; Charlotte and Cary, North Carolina; Clarks

Summit, Pennsylvania; and New York City. One third of the data were collected in the

first six months of the study, one third of the data were collected in the second six months

of the study, and the final third of the data were collected in the last six months of the

study. I used self-developed instruments developed for this particular study that were

approved by the IRB for all of the data that I collected.

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I employed a purposeful selection approach that required confidentiality.

Therefore, some participants were selected based on two public requests for volunteers

that allowed me to choose participants from those who contacted me individually. Other

participants were selected as a result of impromptu conversation followed by my direct

request to participate in the study. All interview participants were required to review and

provide consent using the consent forms approved by the IRB. Additionally, I received

permission from the site leader and the company to do the observations and use the site

locations in the study.

I used a personal recording device to audio-record each interview. Once I

completed an interview I used Dragon software to do first interpretations from audio into

text files and then personally manually transcribed each interview into a Word template

that I designed based on the interview instrument. All of the observations were collected

into a similar template designed for the observation instrument.

After 80% of all data were collected and transcribed, in spring 2015, I loaded the

data collected into the NVivo software tool to initiate data analysis. The data in NVivo

included the results of my literature review, interview transcriptions, and observation

data. I was able to use the data recorded in NVivo to develop codes based on word

frequency, interview participant demographic analysis, and cross-referencing codes

across sources.

I used a manual coding process to identify themes across the interviews. In this

process I used a spreadsheet to track themes uncovered in each interview with one

column for each interview and 1 row for each interview question. I noted each new

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theme and noted any similar responses across interview participants. I used the themes

uncovered in my manual coding process to uncover additional codes to use for analysis in

the data stored within NVivo.

When I initially presented my data collection plan in Chapter 3, I had assumed

that I would complete data collection in one year. However, the population at the site

only included a small percentage of associates that fit the Millennial demographic and

there were several changes in human resources impacting the population. This posed

some challenges since any participation needed to be voluntary, and to avoid possible

indications of coercion I needed to select participants from other departments outside of

my team.

As the company’s location strategy took hold, more participants in the Millennial

demographic became available, but they would not meet the one-year experience

criterion. As the workforce shifted, the company underwent several changes in

leadership as well. Therefore, I needed to be careful to include participants who would

be available for observation for the duration of the study. These changing circumstances

introduced the need for additional scrutiny and decisions in my selection process to

ensure that a level of consistency was maintained in order to have data integrity.

Data Analysis

I used the instruments that I created for data collection to facilitate my transition

from data collection to analysis. I was able to easily code the documents into categories

and themes that related back to the research questions. I also purchased a license and

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used NVivo software to organize my data into groups and derive graphical and pictorial

representations of the data that helped determine codes and streamline the data analysis.

Specifically, I leveraged the automated word count function in NVivo software as

one starting point. After I organized and loaded my data sources into NVivo it was

helpful to collect the top 100 words of five or more characters used throughout the study.

These 100 most frequently mentioned words are shown in Figure 1. I used the

transcribed interviews and observations to identify potential themes within the text. Once

I manually identified codes, I used the codes in the query function within NVivo to verify

some of the themes and information that I identified during the transcription process.

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Figure 1. A word cloud of the top 100 words used in interviews.

It was an easy way to start the process of reviewing the data and to determine

areas within the data that should be further analyzed. I was able to pull phrases in one

document and compare them to phrases containing the same or similar words in other

documents. I then narrowed down the word list into the following eight codes:

• Global

• Leader

• Option

• Productivity

communicationthink

people

mobilization

leaders

leadershipcompany’ th

ings

going

really

impact

persons

influence

millennials

years

style

meeting

something

phoneunderstand

email

business

organizational

level

making

message

probably

allow

individual

conversation

experienced

group

perspectivesomeone

directslittle

across

become

include

often

research

still

challengeanswer

neededeasier

videos

opportunities

expect

senior

implement

devicesfacilitate

everythingprojects

leverage

somebody

focusfacebook

stuff

demographic

point

process

anything

necessarily

based

countries

specific

everybody

conference

matter

office

great

teams

world

another

access

together

example

whole

aspect

respect

sharepoint

tablet

otherscontext

first

today

subject

workplace

outside

environments

goals

biggestglobe

throughout

several

smart

daily everyone

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• Rule or guide

• Security

• Strategy

• Flexibility.

The word count led to phrases that uncovered themes regarding the benefits of or gaps in

mobile technology and social media use in the workplace at this particular worksite.

Once I narrowed down the data, I was also able to run queries to find specific

instances of these words and the context within the interviews and observation

worksheets. After I loaded the information into NVivo, I was able to dissect the data into

categories that distinguished the responses from Millennials and non-Millennials as well

as leaders and nonleaders. This helped to further refine any findings to create the final

results.

In addition to NVivo, I used Microsoft Excel to organize data that I manually

coded. Although I didn’t schedule the interviews in any particular order, I started data

analysis with the first interview and summarized ideas expressed by the participant for

each question. Next, I compared the ideas of one participant to all others to determine if

the thoughts were similar or unique. I used this compare-and-contrast strategy to

determine themes expressed across all of the interviews for each interview question. I

also used the self-designed instrument to determine how the themes uncovered within and

across interviews aligned with each research question. I was able to compare the codes

electronically surfaced in NVivo to themes manually identified using Excel to further

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narrow down the data to focused themes and information relating to the interview

questions.

I collected unique categories and then combined them into themes as they related

to each research question. Since the interview and observation tools were organized by

research question I was able to cross-reference the data, organize it, and then condense it.

Finally, I triangulated the information I obtained against other sources—company

surveys, HR data, and so forth.

I found the data collected regarding research question 1, perceived impact of

globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication,

fascinating. It revealed a general consensus in the interviews that although the company

has a presence and conducts business in several countries around that globe it does not

operate as one global company, not in its operation and infrastructure (Participant B,

Participant I). This was a key theme that helped me understand the mindset of the

participants at the site. Through the interviews I was also able to pick up a disparity

between leaders and associates who were not leaders, and the impact of these factors was

more obvious in responses and information shared from executive leaders as opposed to

more junior associates.

Another theme that surfaced is the direct impact to the business now having to

provide products that can be used as customers and associates travel from one country to

another; therefore business associates were forced to rethink how to perform business

activity (Participant F, Participant H). One leader stated that “We have people who travel

into the states that we will be able to provide insurance just so the people can move

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around; and then also when people who are leaving [the United States], they still have

their insurance when they’re leaving, going to other countries” (Participant F). As the

company expands its global footprint it is essential to develop products that speak to the

changes in how and where business is executed and the changing needs of its customers.

Many of the Millennials stressed the desire to have more access to the

information about what was happening across the globe. For example, one Millennial

stressed that looking for a job at the company and finding out about offices in places

outside the United States is difficult, in his statement that:

Recently I was looking for job postings outside the United States. It’s kind of a

secret to get to those sites for the other countries. Its like we know we’re global,

we know we’re out there, but if you’re working in the U.S. and you’re not in one

of those positions [that works with other countries] it doesn’t really impact you as

much. (Participant D)

This was also apparent in the observation of quarterly leadership meetings. Most

meetings focused on the targeted audience or region.

All participants identified mobile technology as a useful tool. Specifically,

Millennials and leaders recognized it as very influential in the way that they work in that

it helps a lot (Participant B, Participant I). One leader stated that

I think [mobile technology] influences [the work] a lot because…it makes it more

of an agile workplace. So you can take an appointment in the middle of the day

and still know what’s going, you know, on back at the office. I think it’s good

because you’re not tied as a leader and manager, not having to be tied down to the

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desktop. It gives you more time to actually make plans to travel, see other

locations, and have more flexibility. I think the different types of technologies that

we’re doing, [e.g.] putting Good on your phones so you’re not carrying a

Blackberry all around, you know, and stuff like that…and even now some of the

things with now like the [Intranet site] that they put out on mobile the release

[app]—just anything that’s enabling people not to have to be in, in a management

role, not tied down, enabled to get out there and meet people and do different

things. I think this has really been helpful. (Participant I)

Several participants noted the flexibility that comes with leveraging their mobile phones

and VPN remote access on their laptops to balance work and personal commitments

(Participant A, Participant D, Participant E, Participant G).

Another theme uncovered was that although mobile technology is very influential

to the way we work, there is no structure or strategy around its use (Participant C,

Participant D, Participant H). One leader stated that “mobile [is] a massive consideration

and the fact is that, like it or not, it’s here. And I say that because there isn’t a real

strategy around it and there isn’t someone identified who would be the owner of such

strategy if it did exist… And [so], as important as it is and as influential as it is, it’s not

being addressed quite as significantly as one might expect” (Participant H). The data

indicated mobile technology is core to the success in productivity, global access, and the

new agile culture at the site, although some indicated that the company should implement

a targeted strategy, standards, and guidelines for its use.

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Social media was not viewed as having much if any impact on leader

communication at the research site. Some participants indicated that social media has no

direct impact at work (Participant A, Participant B, Participant D, Participant E) while

others pointed out that it allows colleagues and customers to connect to people and find

out information without meeting someone in person (Participant B, Participant F,

Participant P). Most participants were acutely aware that social media was being

monitored by the company and felt the need to be cautious about what they posted and

how they were presented online.

Each theme uncovered more information about how globalization, mobile

technology, and social media affected how people worked at the site. I applied the same

process for all of my research questions. The responses were vast in perspective and

provided a huge amount of insight. I amassed hundreds of pages of data throughout the

interview and observation process. I didn’t discard any of the information that I gathered

since my goal was to get new ideas and information about how globalization, mobile

technology, and social media might influence leader communication. All perspectives

were valid even if they differed from the majority because everyone had different

functions and roles within the company.

Evidence of Trustworthiness

Credibility

During data analysis I leveraged direct participant quotes to derive the codes, as

indicated in Chapter 3, to alleviate unintentional bias and data manipulation that could

occur if using purely my individual thoughts and experiences. I used the information that

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I gathered from various sources while suppressing my own opinions to prevent data

manipulation when collecting data, and then organized the data obtained from this study

into codes and themes. Additionally, I stayed within the context of the study, the

corporate global environment for Millennials, to help narrow the data used to analyze

leadership communication and stay focused and on topic.

Transferability

One strategy that I used to maintain transferability of the study was enlisting

participants from different locations, functions, experiences, and roles within the

company. However, as I stated in the introduction, although the data will not be

generalizable beyond the sample, I targeted a sample appropriate in the context of this

case study through purposeful selection. Since the study focuses on Millennials exposed

to leadership communication in the context of the target company, the opinions expressed

may not represent worldwide views of other Millennial professionals. Furthermore, these

Millennial participants may have limited experience that reflects narrow views of the

corporate environment. Since this study concerns the influence of globalization, mobile

technology, and social media on Millennials, the Millennial participants provided useful

insights about communication phenomena since they are demographically the largest

global user group. The leaders outside of the Millennial demographic helped to balance

out the data. The instruments and population can be reused to get additional data to

continue work on any progress and shifts in communication and to determine more

current data, trends, and future possibilities.

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Dependability

I used the strategies as described in Chapter 3, although the time frame extended

beyond the initial year allocated by the IRB. Preliminary results showed trends in the

data surfaced and persisted in the first half of the interviews. As the purpose of the study

was to uncover information and analyze the site over time, the additional time allowed

me to include and follow additional participants in a consistent manner to other

participants interviewed or observed initially, and to give a more complete assessment of

the organization. It also allowed me to gather additional information from the focus

subject: Millennials associates. The workforce at the subject site underwent considerable

change as more retirement-eligible associates retired and associates in the Millennial

generation joined the population.

Confirmability

I leveraged the research questions and alignment to categories as listed in the

instrumentation section Table 2 of Chapter 3. This allowed the interviewee to understand

the context of the questions when asked to allow for more variations in the answers

throughout the interview. I did not field-test the interview guide with three to five people

in the company as initially planned, since getting enough interviews became a challenge

once the location strategy was implemented and the resource pool shifted. However,

during the first interview I was able to adjust the questioning by leading with the context,

using each category for each section of questions as indicated in the table instead of just

asking the questions. This also helped ensure that the questions were clear to

participants, suggested ways to streamline the responses in future interviews, and reduced

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the interview time, which averaged about one hour. I applied the adjustments to the

interview protocol to all subsequent interviews sessions to enable consistency across all

the interviews.

Study Results

The information uncovered in the study aligned with the Situational, LMX, and

Transformational theories discussed in Chapter 1. I also found that several topics

discussed in Chapter 2 literature review—namely (a) the influence of globalization,

innovation, and technology on leadership communication; (b) the influence Millennials

have on communication in business; (c) the role of leadership communication in a global

company; and (d) leadership communication effectiveness—surfaced throughout the

study. This case study helped to uncover how these items might be influenced in the

subject company. I have organized the results by the research questions that I outlined in

Chapter 1.

Research question 1: What is the perceived impact of globalization, mobile

technology, and social media on leadership communication styles and effectiveness?

Although most participants acknowledged some gaps in information communicated,

technology use, and process standards, all indicated that the company was either already

operating globally in their particular business function or moving in that direction.

Outside of the company’s location strategy, which directly impacted about 10% of the

U.S.-based associates (the company intranet), globalization had not had a lot of impact

directly on the day-to-day operation for most associates as most areas still exist and

operate in silos; however, it has increased awareness of other countries, cultures, and

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business practices. As discussed in the Transformational Leadership theory,

communication is a vital part of transformation. Many participants recognized the gap in

global operations and acknowledged the need to overcome the operational deficiencies

before being able to thrive as a global company.

More senior leaders recognized the impact globalization had on the business and

tied it to various company strategies and goals. A key component of this strategy was to

establish core values to promote a global mindset; these values were discussed in

leadership meetings to promote more cohesiveness and awareness of other areas within

the company. Another component that I observed from the leadership meetings was to

tie goals and objectives for the company to these core values and implement standard

training and tools across the company for all people managers.

Some leader participants noted that the U.S.-based associates are forced to think

outside of U.S. culture, customs, and business (Participant C, Participant J). One leader

stated that:

We’re a global company, but people still use the term offshore. How can it be

offshore if we’re global? So I think the way that it has influenced the way that we

work is basically trying to change the mindset of individuals... So in certain

aspects it’s really changing the mindset of individuals who are sitting here in the

United States because people outside the [United States] get it. So I think that the

impact to the way that we work is [the associates] really understanding that the

power and the information doesn’t stop here” (Participant C).

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Globalization is forcing associates across the globe to change their mindset to think

globally in day-to-day work and future strategy.

Other leaders also observed the shift in mindset. One stated, “it’s been a very

sharp shift in perspective in terms of having to consider other countries and other areas”

(Participant H). There’s been a sharp shift in terms of the mindset of the company to

consider other projects and other perspectives, globally, in terms of prioritization and

planning. Another leader echoed similar sentiments in stating that

I think [globalization] going to lead to getting more, more technology-driven

communication between individuals—telepresence and video-conferencing [and

things] like that. I hope that we expand that more, so that people get used to

different cultures and people from cultures and seeing those interactions and

mannerisms, but I’m not sure about that yet. I think we’re still little new to the

global community to see the results of that. (Participant I)

So participants most noticed a shift starting to occur in how associates think, interact, and

work every day.

I observed a shift in executive leadership meetings that started to incorporate

technology to allow people across the globe to participate in the meeting via

videoconference and video streaming. Additionally, panelists from finance and various

business organizations in the company were brought in to present along with the keynote

speaker so that the communications didn’t just come from one leader, top-down.

Interview participants made the same observation. Whereas in years prior you rarely

heard about the business in other countries and continents, in the past three years

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executive leaders purposely incorporated global information and updates, even bringing

in panelists to deliver updates from their respective areas (Participant K, Participant N,

Participant O, Participant Q).

Customers internal and external to the company want to understand more about

their business partners and the company. One participant stated:

My agents look me up. So now they can actually see my face. I’ve had several

people want to see if I look like my voice, or to see my age, what I know about

life insurance. I think they’re thinking Facebook or LinkedIn will show whether

or not I know what I’m talking about, but it’s brought us closer together as well

where I can form a better relationship with someone when they look me up on

Facebook, even though you still have to be careful because they’re not your

friends. Just, ‘Oh I didn’t know you read that book,’ or ‘I didn’t know you like

swimming,’ or whatever it is, you know. There’s just that little added

connection… And then I know the [Disability Insurance] people that look at claim

and stuff. They can look at Facebook and see who’s telling the truth (Participant

F).

Social media has helped customers become increasingly savvy in how and when they do

business. Others participants pointed out that it helps them stay connected to industry

information and to network with people in the industry. So although social media hasn’t

influenced the job for most participants in their current roles, it allows associates to stay

connected to work and industry associates (Participant C, Participant E, Participant I).

One Millennial mentioned that

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One of the things that we’ve used social media for is when people leave the

company, and staying in touch with them and then kind of having that separation.

So okay, you want to have a social network at work, but you don’t really want

your social life connected to your work life. So social media allows you to be

connected with work people but still separate from work programs as, I guess,

ways of communicating.

Other Millennial participants seemed to want a clear separation between work and

personal lives and tried to keep the information on social media separate from work

(Participant B, Participant D, Participant N), while leaders were excited to see how they

could leverage the data from social media to elevate the business (Participant H,

Participant K).

One participant summarized the company’s status on incorporating social media.

This leader and early adopter stated that

[Social media] comprises about 23 hours of my day right now, and so I’m looking

at it from a different perspective because I think that in terms of the way that it

influences the way that I personally work, I have connected with a lot of

leadership, influencers, and people who post on that topic—people who I think

are influential in the various areas that my team functions in… And I’ve been

pretty aggressive about working with people within the team to encourage them to

connect, and I think that the prevalence of information as a result of just

connecting through social media is astounding. From that development

perspective, from, you know, what we’re doing in terms of our work functions,

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[there’s] no change within the team, really, in terms of work tasks. From a

managerial perspective, and I mentioned the leadership perspective before, but

from the managerial perspective I have connected with a lot of people online. I

have weeded out a number of people; you know that for here in Charlotte we’re

hiring a ton of people. [Social media] weeded out a number of people. There was

someone who, her name was really quite interesting, and so I looked her up, and

instead of her LinkedIn profile coming up it was a full-page mug shot because

she’d stabbed and then tried to shoot someone. So you know that the prevalence

of information is just really astounding. (Participant H)

Since social media is still a relatively new tool for internal business customers, its use and

the strategy around it for business purposes is still in its infancy.

Research question 2 helped me to examine collaboration and communication

style. It specifically asked if employees would use more collaborative, two-way

communication as the company applies new strategy and undergoes shifts in location.

Early in the data collection process, leader and Millennial participants indicated that they

had not experienced any overt or explicit influence of social media on leader

communication; however, they experienced hints of change (Participant A, Participant B,

Participant D, Participant G, Participant H).

The level of experience and exposure to leaders varied for each individual, which

surfaced as an indication of some disparity in communication and perspective between

Millennials and non-Millennials. While many leaders acknowledge the need to bring in

new technology, update processes, and adjust their communication style to accommodate

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the changing workforce, most of the Millennials stated that although they like and

appreciate the new work environment (part of the company’s location strategy), they

don’t want to be treated differently and they strive to adapt quickly to be successful in

their roles (Participant D, Participant E, Participant F, Participant O).

One leader remarked that, “globally, when I was traveling abroad, I noticed they

use [social media] more there than we do here [in the United States]” (Participant C). As

for the ability of communication from a global perspective, the company and more

specifically investment as a whole uses social media outside of the United States more

than internally or inside the United States. While other leaders remarked that although

there aren’t specific guidelines for using social media, leaders have become more

cautious and expect employees to represent the company in a professional manner

(Participant F, Participant M, Participant P). However, most of the Millennials

interviewed stated that they didn’t see any impact of social media on leader

communication (Participant D, Participant G, Participant H). One Millennial observed

that:

I think just when they present town hall meetings I notice now that instead of

them having to go on roadshows and go from city to city to city to make sure

everybody gets their message, they can do the videos that are really popular now

and then they can video stream their town hall meetings and have WebEx’s and

teleconferences versus everything being in person, but in terms of getting

information out I think they tend to stick to email communication and more

traditional written documents (Participant D).

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Regarding mobile technology, most Millennials agreed that leaders use it. One interview

participant stated that, “the only technology that I see senior leadership use, like the iPad

when [a senior VP] used it, at least used to use it... Other technology, I’ve seen a laptop.

Other than that I haven’t seen anything innovative” (Participant B). Others focused in on

mobile phone use and noted that leaders use mobile technology to be more connected to

work (Participant D, Participant E). Some participants commented that leaders use

mobility to be more flexible in their work schedules (Participant E, Participant I). One

Millennial stated:

What I have noticed since being here, there are a lot of diverse work schedules

and [the company] works really—in my opinion—is very open to people’s

schedules. And I’m really having a good work-life balance, and part of that

probably can be attributed to a lot of the mobile technologies. So the ability to

still connect with them on videoconferencing on off-hours versus having to be in

the office or having to be on a conference call or in a meeting room…and then

also just being able to work from home. So I think it influenced leaders to be a lot

more flexible over time and, in my opinion, in just a short time, very much so

here (Participant E).

Most leader participants concurred that mobile technology use has been limited to

extensive used of mobile phones and laptops, but other mobile technology has not been

largely adopted.

One leader admitted that mobile technology use is spotty in terms of how much

and how well mobile technology has been adapted in the company. He mentioned that,

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“I do think there is some disconnect in the 145-year-old insurance company that makes

attempts to be a high-tech company by certain projects as opposed to other companies

totally embracing it” (Participant A). These sentiments parallel some of points taken

from the literature review, that companies often lagged behind in the adoption of new

technologies (Day, 2011). In this example we highlight this observation in the adoption

of mobile technology and social media.

Another leader’s perspective on this highlighted the speed that this has changed

over the past few years. This leader stated that mobile technology use at the company

has grown and changed very rapidly over the past few years. He specifically noted that

This is an area where things have changed so rapidly—it used to be, and because

of my role I’ve always [liked to use] some of the stuff, but I would be the only

one who went to a meeting with an iPad and stylus. Now you see a lot of

people—even my boss, who is 63, does it, and you see other people doing this. I

think that for the amount of business travel that I’ve done, every seat, you know,

there’s somebody sitting there with an iPad… It didn’t matter if it was Blackberry

or iPad. IPad was a major game changer, but the prevalence of information and

the amount of different things that people are reading—and what struck me was

everybody’s reading all these very different things that would’ve been so much

harder to find five years ago, [and] it’s really influencing the way the people are

thinking and functioning. But I think the other thing that’s really having an impact

here is that people are using these things and then, because of the regulatory

environment and knowing that they can’t do some things that they’re seeing other

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people do, there’s a frustration and an exasperation because they want to be active

and they want to participate. And then, understanding where we are, there’s that

immediate in “Oh, you got to be so careful about what you say, what you do, and

how that works,” and all that sort of thing. So I could be using it, but I think it

also brings that sort of challenge. (Participant H)

This early interview gives another example of the frustration some leaders experienced

because they wanted to implement new innovative technology for use at the company,

but cautiously stopped because of the conservative nature of the company, which is

highly regulated, and lack of published guidelines on what could be appropriately

implemented (Participant A, Participant C, Participant H).

However, other leaders, when interviewed several months later, mentioned a shift

to a more agile culture (Participant I, Participant J). One leader stated that:

You can see that there is a concerted effort to try and get more mobile technology

out there and get it into the leadership’s hand, in the manager’s hands. You know,

they’ve pushed the different kinds of—so they pushed out Good [technology] for

the, you know, the cell phone. They’re promoting like the iPad to me to make

everything more mobile for the leadership, so I think that’s good. I don’t know

that it has changed, really, how they are communicating, but I think again it

shows an effort that they’re trying to make it more…more…I don’t want to use

agile again but I will—a more agile place for people to work because they’re not

tied down, and not at just a more senior level. (Participant I)

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More recent interviews, about midway into the location strategy shifts, hint at a noted

difference in the drive to more innovation and increased use of mobile technology and

other communication tools, such as video chatting) (Participant K, Participant L,

Participant Q). Unanimously, when asked the question, “Do you use your smart phone,

social media, or tablet at work?” all participants answered “yes.” But when asked to

qualify whether it was used for work purposes, the answer dwindled down to mobile

phone use. Social media was only notably used at work for marketing, company

branding, and the hiring process. The company used it in some areas, but I observed that

there was not a single, easily accessible policy or regulation as to what employees can

and cannot do with social media, which suppresses how people use it and in some cases

deters people from using it.

For research question 3 I reviewed how the combination of globalization, mobile

technology, and social media might affect the style, delivery, and forums for

communication at work, and how each impact the way that leaders communicate

differently. Most interview participants stated that there was not yet a direct impact on

communication effectiveness. When asked if communication effectiveness was impacted

by globalization, mobile technology, and social media, they responded that it does not

impact them (Participant C, Participant E, Participant F, Participant P). Another theme

included a disconnection between senior leaders and associates regarding organizational

goals. One leader observed the disconnect and a potential opportunity with social media,

stating that:

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I think that [leaders] understand what the goals of the organization are. I’ll give

you an example. At the beginning of the year I was in India and meeting with

both [employees of the company] and our strategic partners... So, I asked people

in the room, the associates, [for] one of the goals for 2014 for your company from

your CEO. Only the managers knew, and only the senior managers knew… So I

would say that if I were to measure the effectiveness of social media, I would

think that one of the primary things the senior management would want is for

individuals to understand the goals of the organization so that they can align what

they do on a daily basis to the goals of the organization. So I think it’s not been

effective at all. (Participant C)

Other leaders agreed that social media can be effective for specific purposes to add value

(Participant A, Participant C, Participant H, Participant I), while many of the Millennials

enjoy its use for personal communication and interaction outside of work, even preferring

to keep the separation between social media and work-related tasks (Participant E,

Participant N, Participant O).

During the span of my study at this particular company, social media didn’t seem

to have much of an impact, but globalization was viewed as having a greater impact on

increased awareness and communication effectiveness (Participant A, Participant I,

Participant L, Participant O, Participant Q). This surfaced as a recurring theme in many

of the interviews. Globalization was also a key topic discussed and observed in my

observation sessions of meetings at all employment levels.

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Research question 4 was used to assess the relationship between globalization and

collaborative forums such as social media. Most participants agreed that collaboration

tool use has increased (Participant A, Participant B, Participant C, Participant E),

although some emphasized that a key tool is primarily used for documentation

(Participant B, Participant E). One Millennial stated that, “I haven’t seen collaboration

being used the way it’s supposed to be” (Participant B). Many of the participants

indicated that SharePoint, which is a strategic collaboration tool for the organization, was

primarily used to store documents.

One leader recognized that although collaboration tools are great tools, they were

not always reliable. She stated, “We use [collaboration tools] all the time. The number

one thing is SharePoint. It works fine when it works fine, and when it doesn’t work you

almost feel…some of the younger staff members have trouble working” (Participant C).

All participants agreed that collaboration tools allowed better multitasking, document

revision history tracking, and improved productivity.

Other participants highlighted that video teleconferencing (VTC) and web

meeting use has also increased since 2012. When asked to indicate the best use of

collaboration tools, some emphasized that WebEx, share drives, and any tool that allows

things to be centrally stored and accessed were the best tools. One participant stated that,

“WebExes, walking people through things, the share drive, you know, just having access

to the cloud. I would say where you can all say things in there, you can pull it out, so if

someone’s not here you can still have access to it.” Therefore participants appreciated

tools that allowed associates to input, access, and share information. When asked, most

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participants agreed that although collaboration forums were not necessary for effective

communication in their organization, they’re helpful.

One Millennial emphasized that it would be great to grow the collaboration forum

feature. He stated:

I would love for the forum aspect to be grown, because I can tell you, I mean, a

few hours of my day is spent on forums trying to see how things work…from a

technology aspect, not necessarily for [the company], but for me to be able to do

my work, I need to ask questions online and get the answers from people that

know the answers to it. Unfortunately, at [the company] there’s no—maybe we

do have the means to do it, to collaborate and have the forums, but I don’t know

what it is and I don’t think anybody else does. For me to post a question to a

forum, then nobody answers…that’s the biggest problem with collaborating. You

know that the organizations, unless people are using it, it’s not going to be

effective, and you know they’re not today. (Participant B)

Other participants acknowledged the gaps in collaboration across the company, and

mentioned two potential barriers: gaps in knowledge of collaboration tools and how to

use them, and the lack of strategy and oversight in implementation and use. Specifically,

one leader stated that, “I don't think that we’re using [collaboration] to the best effect in

all cases, because it requires discipline and oversight, which we don’t have at [the

company]” (Participant A). A theme across the interviews was that despite increased use

and emphasis on collaboration across the company, there are gaps in its implementation,

including training, guidelines, and strategy.

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The next research question, number 5, was used to examine how certain

communication methods or styles are more effective than others for leaders, individual

contributors, or both. When participants were asked if they worked differently with

various employees to be more productive, the most common response was that they adapt

to each individual regardless of whether it’s local or global (Participant B, Participant E,

Participant F, Participant P). They also observed a noticeable change in how leadership

communicates with employees. Leadership communication style is less formal than in

previous years (Participant D, Participant F, Participant G, Participant H, Participant P).

Although less formal, some Millennials shared that the communication is less

interpersonal because the video updates make it harder to ask questions, while others

stated that the communication is more personable and interactive where leaders walk the

floor and engage associates.

This disparity could be attributable to the training given to leaders or to the fact

that there were changes in leadership throughout the study with the focus on Millennials

in the newer locations (via the location strategy) versus the status quo in the established

locations at the company; this may indicate an opportunity for follow-up research. One

leader observed change in leadership communication and stated:

We’ve gone from people who were more, who liked more informal type

communications, like newsletters, to people who don’t. So we’ve stopped doing

stuff like that. So yeah, I think that, and that could just be individual style, where

you’re moving from someone who’s more--who likes that type of interactivity

more than other people who it’s not a focus for them…and I think that just varies

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by the individual taste. I’m not sure if it’s just a big trend or anything.

(Participant J)

Another key observation is the dedication to two-way conversations between

associates. All interview participants stressed the importance of two-way conversations

in the current environment to facilitate the exchange of information as well as making

meetings or discussions more effective. However, the responses were split when

interviewees were asked whether globalization, social media, and mobile technology

impact communication effectiveness. One Millennial participant summed it up in his

response that in some ways it does, in other ways it doesn’t. He stated that:

I mean [sitting] in a room, in a conference room and everybody’s engaged, versus

being over the phone, and when you’re talking directly to a person, technology is

a lot better because obviously makes it a lot easier to do that. But when you’re

working in groups and, you know, working with the big groups, technology I

think is making it worse because everybody knows that [there’s] multitasking

over the phone; everybody does it. (Participant B)

This response was evenly split among both Millennials and leaders, who agreed

that accessibility of information, technology and tools facilitates communication and

helps improve the transfer or communication of information; however, the proximity and

type of meeting may make it more difficult to ensure the message or information is

received in a global environment.

Another theme uncovered regarding leadership communication was that leaders

and Millennials agreed that communication is most effective when it’s not role based, but

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rather it’s based on the individual. Versatility is key: What works for one may not be the

best for the other. However, that doesn’t mean that a certain communication method or

style is better or worse (Participant D, Participant E, Participant I, Participant J). One

Millennial stated that

To be effective is to be versatile. So I think you have to be good at all [types of

communication tools] to reach everyone, because I think what works for one

person may or may not work for the next person. I don’t think necessarily one is

better than the other, but for different people it’s better to communicate with them

in different ways. (Participant D)

This reinforces the Situational Leadership theory discussed in Chapter 1 that states that

effective leaders must be flexible to achieve the best performance from employees.

Finally, with the sixth and last research question, I researched how two-way,

frequent communication influences company performance in Millennials, including

adherence and achievement of set goals. Here, I was able to explore how a new

performance development process and system influenced communication between

leaders and associates and respective performance.

Change theory, according to Bennis, Benne, and Chin (1961), says leaders must

remove any barriers to communication, since a group will master internal communication

systems that allow the group to function appropriately in two phases. In Phase I, the

dependence phase, the group looks for a common goal and desires approval from the

authority figure; in Phase 2 the group takes on a shared responsibility as a group.

Throughout this study I found specific strategy was in place to address potential barriers

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to communication through onboard training for new hires and relocated employees as

well as for the managers, and then setting up buddy groups so that each person could

build the relationships needed to discuss and develop shared goals and be able to connect

with their leaders.

Some codes within the text of the interviews related to the struggle to find

strategy regarding social media and mobile technology use, where associates were

looking for rules and guidelines around mobile technology and social media use.

Additionally, some leaders indicated that a strategy for implementing use of such tools in

their organization was lacking, although there was a keen awareness that the company

had a social media site and hired resources to monitor it for statements about the

company. The company also issued mobile phones to several employees for work

purposes.

LMX theory, as referenced in earlier chapters, stated that differences in the level

of exchange might exist between the leader and each individual follower because a leader

does not interact with the group uniformly, and that the level and quality of interaction

between leaders and employees affects employee performance. When asked how leaders

can do better, most responded that they would appreciate more direct communication

(Participant A, Participant B, Participant E, Participant F, Participant P). However, when

I asked each associate the frequency at which they heard from their leaders and whether it

was adequate, unanimously the response was “often” and “adequately.”

Therefore strategy with regard to change, training, and communication between

leaders and associates, particularly Millennials, seemed to be successful, although

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specific strategy for mobile technology and social media seemed to be lacking. Strategy

was another code and theme that surfaced in the study. Repeating Nadler (1998) theory

from Chapter 1, each component must fit the strategy before the strategy can succeed (p.

12). Communication must be integrated into organizational change. Further, as new

tools, processes, and organizational structures are introduced, it is important for

associates to understand the strategy for them.

When asked how leaders could communicate more effectively, one leader stressed

the importance of understanding how strategy affects him. One Millennial, in his answer

to the same question, responded that she would like to hear the executive updates. She

stated “quarterly updates about the true strategy of [the company] or each leader speaking

about the strategy and goals and where are they at with those goals and contributing to

those goals and that type thing is important to me. Like, I want to see the big picture”

(Participant E). A common theme among all of the interviewees was the need to

understand the broader strategy and how that ties to the work they do every day.

Mobile phones allow all associates greater flexibility in when and how they

interact at work. Several themes surfaced regarding whether globalization, mobile

technology, and social media facilitated or complicated work. Responses were that (a)

they facilitated communication because they allow people to disseminate information in

various ways (Participant A, Participant B, Participant D, Participant F, Participant P); (b)

they also allow people more options in how they attain information, thereby allowing

individuals to get information in ways that work best for them, in terms of how they feel

most comfortable and how they best absorb information, as well as flexibility in when

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they can receive information (Participant A, Participant D, Participant E); and (c)

associates appreciated that they were not locked into “having to be there” to get the

message. Most associates viewed flexibility as a positive contributor to disseminate or

attain information that facilitated work and helped them to be more productive.

More recently, in 2015, I observed a posting of mobile guidelines on the company

intranet. Also, the mobile strategy was broadened to encourage collaboration and the

policy opened up to allow any associate level to acquire and use a company-issued

mobile phone at the discretion of their manager. Additionally, the company’s 2015

Organizational Health Survey reviewed improved results from the same survey presented

company-wide in 2012.

Summary

This study revealed several data points that aligned to traditional theories on

leadership. The participant responses and changes observed during this study identified

key opportunities for improved leadership communication that could help close gaps

between associates within the company’s 2015 population. The participant responses and

my direct observations provided hundreds of pages of data, direct quotes, and information

to help determine ideas and perspectives that I will share to support social change.

I summarized the data from this study in Chapter 4, stating that (a) associates

experienced and expressed the impact from globalization and mobile technology at the

company level, but participants felt that the social media did not have significant impact

on their work; (b) many saw opportunity in adopting the collaboration strategy at work

and hoped to see more use, guidelines, and structure to influence more interactive

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communication between employees; (c) many employees did not feel a direct impact

from globalization, mobile technology, and social media on their work or work

performance, although they appreciated the tools because they helped facilitate

communication and therefore made their jobs easier, especially when communicating

with employees outside of their office location; (d) mobile technology provided great

flexibility in how information is communicated and received at work; (e) more frequent,

direct, and two-way communication helped to drive better performance; and (f) there

could be opportunity for social media use at work if adapted for the right purpose and

implemented strategically.

In Chapter 5 I discuss my assessment of this information as well as

recommendations on how this information could be used to inform leaders about

potential gaps and ideas to trigger better communication and performance.

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Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations

The purpose of my case study was to assess Millennial employees and leaders in a

Fortune 100 company to determine their preferred leadership communication style in

light of globalization, mobile technology, and social media. This study explored how

leadership communication with Millennials can be improved through better

understanding of available leadership communication methods and current impacts in the

context of this study.

The use of a case study design allowed me to build on theories about effective

leader communication by uncovering new information about effective leader

communication with Millennials. Some key findings were that the employees were

enthusiastic about embracing change, using new technology, and shifting the

communication style to promote new ideas and improve associate performance.

However, many expressed frustration with understanding how to implement strategy that

could best leverage the technology, tools, and talent available in the company.

Interpretation of Findings

The findings from this study included the following:

1. Most associates preferred direct communication

2. Although some had not fully embraced the technology, all agreed that

technology was necessary to communicate most effectively in their role

3. Leaders’ individual communication skill, and their implementation or

adaption of process, tools, and technology makes communications

effective, not the technology alone.

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4. While Millennials appreciate the focus and changes put in place to attract

and retain them, they are eager to prove themselves as contributing

employees, not just as Millennial employees.

5. Many employees are eager to use mobile technology and social media if

guidelines are produced and there is a purposeful strategy employed to

incorporate them into their work.

6. Most employees feel that globalization has had some effect on the

company’s strategic direction, however it has not affected their day-to-day

job, tasks or performance.

Therefore the adaption and use of newer technology has influenced leadership

communication effectiveness. Globalization created the need for better technology and

tools to allow employees to share ideas and best practices that would help improve

company performance. The data revealed that mobile technology and collaboration tools

have made communication across company locations simpler and facilitated

globalization. Additionally, the influence of social media has permeated the workplace.

The company created specific forums and training to facilitate two-way communication

and hear ideas from Millennials.

The company also trained leaders to promote better adaption of a collaborative

work culture and improve communication with employees throughout the cultural shift

from purely top down directives to collaboration. The data showed that leadership

communication style and frequency has changed throughout the company. This has had a

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positive impact on employees as the workforce shifted and communication had to shift to

accommodate the company needs to allow for better performance.

Limitations of the Study

The study included a diverse group of participants. However, the sample did not

represent the full population of company employees since participation was voluntary

and I employed purposeful sampling selection. Although as with most case studies the

data is not generalizable, the targeted sample was appropriate in the context of this case

study. The interview and observation protocol enabled me to collect sufficient data with

the given sample size to reinforce its validity. Due to the rapid changes in technology

and in the workforce during the course of the study, the gathered data was only suitable

for examining the then current thoughts, views, and experiences to determine future

trends and possibilities.

Since the study focused on Millennials exposed to leadership communication in

the context of the target company, the opinions expressed do not represent worldwide

views of other Millennial professionals. Most of the Millennial participants had limited

experience at the company and some of their views may be a result of their lack of

familiarity with the company as opposed to a gap in the company. However, the

participants provided useful insights about communication phenomena. Since I am not a

Millennial, I was able to counteract any personal bias by leveraging the participants’

input as the primary data source.

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Recommendations

One recommendation that I have is that companies should determine the effect of

social media on communication effectiveness within a corporate environment. This may

help to determine if a strategy for using social media as a communication vehicle at work,

for work purposes and internal communication could elevate the performance by

improving communication at all levels within a company. Social media may not be

appropriate for use in daily functions at the role level, but allowing employees to set up

accounts or join certain groups and share information via social media might be useful.

There must be a strategy for this with specific guidelines outlined for this to work. Also,

it cannot be forced upon employees, but promoted and used as another tool or vehicle for

communication.

Implications

This study promotes social change in two ways 1) I shared information about

leader communication and encouraged new thoughts by asking questions during

interviews and 2) I influenced social change when I shared the resulting information

about how globalization, Millennials, social media, and mobile technology use might

impact leadership communication style and effectiveness in the corporate environment.

The information observed and derived from themes uncovered in the interview process

showed opportunity for improved communication and performance given better

application of tools available, resource knowledge, and guidelines for its use.

The data implied the need to extend leadership communication to include all

employees. Some employees noted the lack of connection to the company strategy or big

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picture. Instead of the traditional top-down approach, many would appreciate getting the

information or strategy directly. Associates would also prefer face-to-face

communication as often as possible. Follow-up research could determine the

effectiveness of having all employees involved in leadership updates by studying a group

that would have direct access to leader communications and comparing the performance

of this group versus the performance of a group that only hears the information indirectly.

Another implication from the study is a need to grow collaboration forums by

promoting them and setting up guidelines. Many of the Millennial participants expressed

interest and delight in engaging in forums at work and outside of work. The forums,

where implemented, allowed for faster and broader communication, answers to questions,

and exchange of information and innovative ideas. Additionally, other study’s that track

the progress of the employees that participate in the forums and the number of ideas

generated from such forums could serve management and leadership communities as well

as employees overall.

Conclusions

This case study was designed to study leadership communication through

significant changes in the corporate environment. Data were collected from 17

respondents and analyzed through the lens of four theoretical frameworks. Emergent

themes and patterns revealed 10 obvious themes relative to the theories discussed within

this qualitative study. While there is no set formula for creating effective communication

at work, the participants in this study as well as leaders and employees that were

observed provided information that helped identify some gaps and strategy to minimize

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the effects. The significance of this study was that it exposed information that had not

previously been documented.

Good communication helps organizations succeed. Where corporate associates

communicate well, employee performance is improved. This study helped identify some

best practices and strategy for improved use and effectiveness of tools and technology

and educate participants and anyone exposed to it. As corporate employees think about

global strategy they can leverage the information learned in this study to help influence

positive change and better employee performance.

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Appendix A: Observation Worksheet

Observation Notes Observation

Interpretations What technology/social media or other tools are used to facilitate communication? How do participants interact throughout the meeting/ discussion? (Leadership panel, leader to participants, guest presenter, participant to leader, participant to participant) Are participants in the same location? Are all participants in the same time zone? Are some participants on a telephone call/conference? Is there a web presentation? Are there PowerPoint presentations? Is video technology used? (Telepresence, video teleconference, video streaming, video recording, Skype?) Can participants participate using mobile technology? Is collaboration software used? What other meeting materials are used? Is there opportunity for participants to ask/answer questions?

Does subject matter include global company, globalization, and/or world? Does subject matter include social technology, social networking, and/or social media? Does subject matter include mobility, mobile technology, mobile usage, and/or mobile tools? Does subject matter include changes or impacts of globalization, social media, or technology over time? Does subject matter include organizational changes, organizational performance, or organizational impacts? Who discusses the topics? Employee? Leader? Both?

Do participants express ideas/topics/answers clearly? Is there a two-way flow of information? What methods are used to ensure clarity of information, performance, and tasks? Does communication appear to be executed effectively?

How many forms of communication are incorporated into the discussion? Do the participants/leaders always use the same format? Is there any difference in method or style observed from previous meetings? How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate communication? Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social media, mobile technology, both?

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Observation Notes Observation Interpretations

Is there good leader communication? What changes are observed or experienced in leadership communication style? Are participants engaged in two-way conversation with employees/leaders? Is it effective (how do you know it’s effective)? Do globalization, social media, and mobile technology factors allow for more effective communication? How does this meeting compare to other meetings? (Number of participants, employee grade level of participants, proximity of participants, engagement of participants)

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Appendix B: Interview Questions

Category Question

Workplace

1. Do you consider the company global? 2. How do you think the globalization of your company has influenced

the way you work? 3. How does mobile technology influence the way you work? 4. How has social media influenced the way you work? 5. What changes have you experienced as a result of mobile technology

and social media? 6. Have globalization, mobile technology, and social media changed the

communication style of company leadership?

Communication

7. In what ways has social media influenced company leader communication?

8. How have company leaders used mobile technology in the last three years?

9. Do you use your smart phone, social media, or tablet at work? For work purposes?

10. How does mobile technology impact the work that you do? 11. How has the company used social media in the last three years? 12. How has social media impacted the work that you do?

Associate Role Impacts 13. How do globalization, technology, and social media impact leadership communication effectiveness in your role?

14. What makes a good leader? 15. What changes have you experienced in leadership communication

over the last three years in your organization? 16. What changes have you experienced in leadership communication

with senior executives over the last three years?

Communication Changes Experienced or Observed

17. How are leadership communication styles different than the communication you yourself use in your daily tasks at work?

18. How do social media and mobile technology impact work communication?

19. What changes have you observed in the last three years in communicating with employees across the globe?

20. What changes do you expect to see in the near future?

Job Performance

21. How much communication is needed to implement tasks you perform?

22. How are tasks implemented most effectively when working with associates globally?

23. Has communication become more complex or easier due to these factors?

24. In what ways has communication changed in the last three years? 25. How much of the change do you feel is attributable to globalization?

Mobile technology? Social technology?

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Category Question 26. What changes have you experienced with respect to leader

communication? 27. How have these factors changed organizational communication?

Collaboration

28. How have collaboration tools impacted the way you work? Has their use increased over the last three years?

29. In what ways have collaboration tools been used most effectively? 30. Are there other uses for collaboration tools that are not being used? 31. Are collaboration forums necessary for effective communication in

your organization?

Globalization and Diversity

32. Do globalization, technology, and social media collectively influence the way you work?

33. Have globalization, technology, and social media influenced the way you work with different demographic groups?

34. Do you work differently with various employees to be more productive?

Organizational Communication

35. Have you observed or experienced changes in leadership communication style in the past three years?

36. Do you engage in two-way conversations with employees? 37. Do globalization, social media and mobile technology factors allow

for more effective communications? 38. Are certain communication methods or styles more effective than

others for leaders, individual contributors, or both? 39. How often do you hear from leadership? Do you feel that it is

adequate? 40. Can current leaders communicate more effectively? How? 41. How do new communication tools facilitate or complicate

communication? 42. Is communication more or less effective when leveraging social

media, mobile technology, both?

Leadership

43. Do you feel you could influence changes that could make you or your organization more effective? What are some of the challenges you face?

44. Are globalization, mobile technology, and social media changing leadership influence?

45. How do globalization, mobile technology, and social media influence leadership communication style for Millennials? Is the impact of the three combined greater than the individual impact?

46. What do you think about your current leadership and their use of the latest mobile technology and social media?

47. How can leaders [you] leverage technology and media innovation in ways that make them more successful?

48. How can company leaders work better with Millennials?

Organizational Effectiveness

49. Do you feel that you are as effective as you could be in your current role?

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Category Question 50. Do you feel that your organization is as effective as it could be? 51. What do you consider the biggest hurdle or change that you face in

being more effective in your current role? 52. How can mobile technology and social media be used optimally at

work?

Opportunities

53. What are some opportunities to use mobile technology differently? 54. How can leaders work better with employees overall? 55. How can leaders work better with Millennials?

Demographic Info

56. Are you part of the Millennial demographic (born between 1977 and 2000)?

57. How long have you been employed at the company?

Technology Savvy

58. Do you own a smart phone? How often do you use it? 59. Do you have active social media accounts? How many? How often

do you use them? 60. Do you own a tablet? How often do you use it?

Employment Information 61. What is the most common way that you attain information at work?

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Appendix C: Letter of Cooperation from a Community Research Partner

The Company Contact Information Date Dear Rasheedah Dunston, Based on my review of your research proposal, I give permission for you to conduct the study entitled The Possible Impact of Globalization, Mobile Technology, and Social Media on Leadership Communication Involving Millennials within the company. As part of this study, I authorize you to recruit employees for interviews, observe meetings and other communication forums to collect data, and use nonproprietary company data for triangulation and analysis as part of the study. The results will be reported as part of this study. Individuals’ participation will be voluntary and at their own discretion. We understand that our organization’s responsibilities include: allowing use of personnel, rooms, and resources that the partner will provide at various sites within the company. We reserve the right to withdraw from the study at any time if our circumstances change. I confirm that I am authorized to approve research in this setting. I understand that the data collected will remain entirely confidential and may not be provided to anyone outside of the research team without permission from the Walden University IRB. Sincerely, Authorization Official Contact Information Walden University policy on electronic signatures: An electronic signature is just as valid as a written signature as long as both parties have agreed to conduct the transaction electronically. Electronic signatures are regulated by the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are only valid when the signer is either (a) the sender of the email, or (b) copied on the email containing the signed document. Legally an “electronic signature” can be the person’s typed name, their email address, or any other identifying marker. Walden University staff will verify any electronic signatures that do not originate from a password-protected source (i.e., an email address officially on file with Walden).

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Appendix D: Informed Consent Form for Interviews

You are invited to take part in a research study of the possible impact of globalization, mobile technology, and social media on leadership communication involving Millennials. The researcher is inviting company leaders and/or employees that fit the Millennial demographic to be in the study. This form is part of a process called “informed consent” to allow you to understand this study before deciding whether to take part. This study is being conducted by a researcher named Rasheedah Dunston, who is a doctoral student at Walden University. You may already know the researcher as a Director, but this study is separate from that role. Background Information: The purpose of this study is to build on theories about effective communication using a case study methodology to assess Millennial employees and leaders in a Fortune 100 company to determine their preferred leadership communication style in light of globalization, mobile technology, and social media. Procedures: If you agree to be in this study, you will be asked to:

• Participate in an interview that requires about 60-90 minutes of your time. Here are some sample questions:

o How do you think the globalization of your company has influenced the way you work?

o In what ways has social media influenced company leader communication?

• Be available for future follow-up questions, clarification, and review of your responses.

Voluntary Nature of the Study: This study is voluntary. Everyone will respect your decision of whether or not you choose to be in the study. No one at the company will treat you differently if you decide not to be in the study. If you decide to join the study now, you can still change your mind later. You may stop at any time. Risks and Benefits of Being in the Study: Being in this study would not pose risk to your job, safety, or well-being. The potential benefits of being in this study and sharing your valuable perspective would help me produce new information about how globalization, Millennials, social media, and mobile technology use might impact leadership communication style and effectiveness. Payment:

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There is no compensation for participating in this questionnaire. Privacy: Any information you provide will be kept confidential. Your identity will not be used in this study. The researcher will not use your personal information for any purposes outside of this research project. You will be given an opportunity to review your answers after it is transcribed to an electronic format. Also, the researcher will not include your name or anything else that could identify you in the study reports. Data will be kept secure by only allowing one person, the researcher, to review the raw data. It will be stored on my personal devices, which will be kept secure at all times. Data will be kept for a period of at least 5 years, as required by the university. Contacts and Questions: You may ask any questions you have now. Or if you have questions later, you may contact the researcher via phone or email. If you want to talk privately about your rights as a participant, you can call the Walden University representative who can discuss this with you. Walden University’s approval number for this study is 02-10-14-0225043 and it expires on February 1, 2016. Please print or save this consent form for your records. Statement of Consent: I have read the above information and I feel I understand the study well enough to make a decision about my involvement. By replying to this email with the words, “I consent,” I understand that I am agreeing to the terms described above.